Thursday, Sept. 15
Transcription
Thursday, Sept. 15
LOCAL, 2-A SPOR TS, 1-C HEAVY RAIN HITS NORTH CAROLINA AS OPHELIA STRENGTHENS High school football returns to the Coast S e r v i n g P a s c a g o u l a , O c e a n S p r i n g s , M o s s When the post office promised that “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night...” would stop the mail, they were smart enough not to mention dadburn hurricanes! P o i n t , G a u t i e r a n d Old Crab ® L u c e d a l e THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS 25¢ Thursday, September 15, 2005 www.gulflive.com Our online affiliate Florida’s Gov. Bush visits Jerry St. Pé, Mississippi Gaming Commission chairman, says casino officials are committed to reopen on the Gulf Coast with an even larger presence. ■ Sunshine State storm aid brings governor to Coast By RYAN SIRMONS The Mississippi Press William Colgin/The Mississippi Press Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, left, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour visit the Florida law enforcement staging area set up in Bay St. Louis Wednesday morning. BAY ST. LOUIS — On Aug. 30, before the winds of Hurricane Katrina had calmed, the Florida State Highway Patrol officers arrived on the Gulf Coast. Since then, help from Florida has continued to arrive in the form of firefighters, search, rescue and recovery personnel, and law enforcement. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, along with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and an entourage of Florida leaders, toured the Coast and saw firsthand the efforts of Florida volunteers. “Many have been here since (last) Monday,” Bush said. “The winds hadn’t even subsided.” Barbour compared Florida to “a good Samaritan” and “a guardian angel” to Mississippi. “I told Gov. Bush that when his term ends, he can come over here and we’ll make him ‘King of the Coast,’” Barbour said. See BUSH, Page 4-A Attorney general thanks relief workers ■ Hood praises NOVA volunteers on visit to Ocean Springs By CLAIR BYRD The Mississippi Press OCEAN SPRINGS — Among a mix of Jackson County residents looking for relief at the disaster recovery center, Mississippi’s attorney general came to thank crisis relief workers. Attorney General Jim Hood came to personally thank volunteers from the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), a crisis response team currently housed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency’s recovery center. The response team is assisting county residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina, which slammed the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. “I came down here to recognize them, they’re a wonderful group,” he said. Hood said those affected by Hurricane Katrina, especially children and disaster relief workers, need NOVA’s services. Scott Sasser, the leader of NOVA’s Arkansas Crisis Response Team, calls his group “crisis intervene-ers.” Sasser and the other five team members — all school counselors — have been working together for five years. “There are lots of emotions and reactions people are dealing with that are not normal,” Sasser said. “Sometimes, they don’t even know what the first step is to start recovery.” Those are the people NOVA is here to help. See HOOD, Page 4-A Execs plan to rebuild casinos By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press Writer JACKSON — Mississippi Gaming Commission chairman Jerry St. Pé says casino executives are assuring him their companies plan to rebuild in coastal areas hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, but it could be months before the first casinos reopen, even in temporary locations. In a telephone interview Wednesday, St. Pé told The Associated Press that the executives he’s spoken to this week in Las Vegas want Mississippi to change its laws to allow casinos to be built on land rather than only over water. St. Pé said “there are differences of opinion” among industry executives about how far casinos should be allowed to go inland. “I have heard nothing other than a commitment to remain and in the future have an even larger presence on the Mississippi See CASINOS, Page 4-A State secures cruise ship for evacuees By VALERIE BAUMAN The Associated Press William Colgin/The Mississippi Press Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, right, meets with Scott Sasser and Susan Sharp Smith of Arkansas, with the National Organization for Victim Assistance, Wednesday at the Disaster Recovery Center in Ocean Springs. Hood thanked them for their assistance with crisis response. JACKSON — Gov. Haley Barbour, frustrated by how long it was taking to obtain temporary housing for hurricane evacuees, said late Wednesday that Mississippi had secured the use of a small cruise ship to house hundreds of evacuees willing to live on it. The state had hoped to bring the 490-passenger ship to the Port of Pascagoula, at the state’s southeastern corner. But it will be moored off Mobile, Ala., instead because Mississippi coastal waters were too dirty for the ship’s water treatment system, the governor said. See EVACUEES, Page 4-A Hurricane Katrina blows new business to Singing River Mall By JOY E. STODGHILL The Mississippi Press GAUTIER — While victims of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath continue to pick up the pieces, Singing River Mall survived — and is now the only operating mall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The mall has already signed leases with Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations, ALION Science and Technology Corporation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Gift Box has also opened in the mall. The corps will operate in the mall for a few months. Mall manager Tina Dubose said five to 10 more businesses are currently going through the leasing process. She confirmed that several of these undisclosed stores were previously located in Biloxi’s Edgewater Mall, which was severely damaged Aug. 29 by Katrina’s massive storm surge. According to Dubose, these other businesses are waiting on liability insurance before signing contracts. Dubose said Singing River Mall received “minimal damage.” “We were up and operational that following Wednesday,” she said. Donna Taylor with the Louisiana-based Stirling Properties Commercial Real Estate, said there are no immediate renovation plans at this time. “We are continuing forward with our plans for the mall,” she added. She said their focus currently is to accommodate current tenants and to bring in more retailers formerly located in Edgewater Mall. “This is one of the bright spots of this whole LOCAL, 3-A LOCAL, 1-B SPOR TS, 1-C INDEX George County starts schools — again Tent city houses help for Gautier and beyond Sea Wolves stopping operations until next year Advice . . . . . . . . . . . .7-C Classified . . . . . . . . .2-D Comics . . . . . . . . . . .6-C MISSISSIPPI PRESS HURRICANE HEADQUARTERS: (251) 219-5551, (866) 843-9020 thing,” said Councilman Ward 2 Councilman Hurley Ray Guillotte. “We were just really fortunate that our mall didn’t have any serious damage.” The areas already leased “will almost double the occupancy of the mall,” Guillotte said. And he believes once businesses move to Gautier from other areas, they will stay. “It’s really looking good out there,” he said. Reporter Joy E. Stodghill can be reached at jstodghill@mspressonline.com or (251) 2195551. Editorial . . . . . . . . . . .6-A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . .1-C TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-C Vol. 159 — No. 258, 28 Pages © 2-A THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Heavy rain hits North Carolina coast as Ophelia picks up strength CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Ophelia lashed the North Carolina coast with high winds and heavy rains Wednesday, beginning an anticipated twoday assault that threatened serious flooding and an 11-foot storm surge. “If you have not heeded the warning before, let me be clear right now: Ophelia is a dangerous storm,” Gov. Mike Easley said from Raleigh, appealing especially to those in flood-prone areas to evacuate. Ophelia was moving so slowly — just 7 mph — that authorities expected the storm’s passage through North Carolina to take 48 hours from the start of rainfall on the southeastern coast Tuesday afternoon to the storm’s anticipated exit into the Atlantic late Thursday. The storm had sustained winds of 85 mph Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane warnings covered the entire North Carolina coast from the South Carolina line to Virginia, where a tropical storm warning covered the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. More than 12 inches of rain had fallen on Oak Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, said meteorologist Jeff Orrock with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. More than 77,000 homes and business were without power in eastern North Carolina, electric utilities said. On Ocean Isle Beach, south of Carolina Beach, a 50-foot section of beachfront road was washed out by heavy surf and the only AP Doris Hollowell walks her dog along the boardwalk in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Wednesday during high winds from Hurricane Ophelia. bridge to the island was closed. Video broadcast by Durham’s WTVD-TV from Carteret County on the central coast showed a section from the end of a hotel’s fishing pier breaking off and floating away. Jetnella Gibbs and her family made their way to a shelter at a Craven County high school after the rain started Tuesday. “We noticed the street was starting to fill up, and I said, ’It’s time to go,”’ she said. “I know if this little bit here has flooded the street, what will it do when it real- ly pours?” The storm’s eye was expected to brush the coast between midnight and 2 a.m., but it might not come ashore, said Bob Frederick, meteorologist at the weather service bureau at Newport, N.C. At 8 p.m. Ophelia’s large eye was centered about 35 miles southwest of Cape Lookout on the Outer Banks. Hurricaneforce winds of at least 74 mph extended 50 miles out from the center and forecasters said some strengthening was possible. Following the criticism of its response to Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had 250 workers on the ground — a larger-than-usual contingent given Ophelia’s size. FEMA also put a military officer, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Brian Peterman, in place to command any federal response the storm might require. The storm’s slow, meandering path to the coast gave FEMA more time to get staff on the ground than is usually the case with North Carolina hurricanes, said Shelley Boone, the agency’s team leader for Ophelia. Easley said he had spoken to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and that National Guard teams were prepared to evacuate sick, frail and elderly residents. Ophelia is the 15th named storm and seventh named hurricane of this year’s busy Atlantic season, which ends Nov. 30. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 MISSISSIPPI COAST WEATHER TODAY Partly cloudy Hi 89 Lo 74 FRIDAY Thunderstorms Hi 88 Lo 73 SATURDAY Partly cloudy Hi 90 Lo 72 LUNAR STAGES ALMANAC Full moon Sept. 17 Record High 97 in 1972 Last quarter Sept. 25 Record Low 54 in 1985 New moon Oct. 3 Yesterday’s High 90° First quarter Oct. 10 Yesterday’s Low 66° Yesterday’s Rain 0” MISSISSIPPI SOUND Salinity Salinity: N/A This Month’s Rain N/A” 86.4° Year to Date Rain N/A” Water temperature TIDES SUNRISE/SET Rise Set Thurs. 8:39 am H 7:11pm L Thurs. 6:39 am 6:59 pm Fri. 9:47 am H 7:38 pm L Fri. 6:39 am 6:58 pm Sat. 11:03 am H 7:45 pm L Sat. 6:40 am 6:57 pm Sun. 4:33 am L 12:41 pm H Sun. 6:40 am 6:56 pm 7:02 pm L 11:43 pm H Mon. 6:41 am 6:54 pm Mon. 7:06 am L 11:33 pm H Tues. 6:41 am 6:53 pm Tues. 8:42 am L 11:54 pm H Wed. 6:42 am 6:52 pm RIVER STAGES MARINE FORECAST Pascagoula River (Cumbest Bluff) 3.78 feet Pascagoula River (Merrill) 5.99 feet Chickasawhay River (Leakesville) 10.81 feet Marine Forecast: Southwest winds around 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. OBITUARIES BOSARGE Oliver L. Bosarge, 76 of Lucedale, Miss., died Aug. 30, 2005 in Pascagoula, Miss. He was born June 17, 1929, in Jackson County. He was a veteran in World War II and a member of Hurley Pentecostal Church. Mr. Bosarge was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita Kirkland; parents, Levert and Irean Bosarge; son, Steve Holland; brothers, Howard L. and Dody Bosarge; sister, Beatrice Gentry. Survivors include sons, Ricky and Larry Bosarge both of George County, Miss.; son and daughter-in-law, Malcolm L. (Aimee) Bosarge of Ala.; daughters and sons-in-law, Ramona (Wayne) Havard of Wade, Miss., Debra (George) Wilkinson of Ala. and Gail (Charlie) James of George County; sisters, Louise Rockwell of Gautier, Miss., Ann Willis of Moss Point, Miss., and Joyce Phillips of Wade, Miss; brothers, Jake Bosarge of Ala., and Jerril Bosarge of Lucedale; grandchildren, Ernie Havard, Brandon James, Meagan Bosarge, Juanita Wilkinson, Brittany Wilkinson, George Wilkinson, Jr., Jamie Bosarge, Anna Perez, Billy Jack Holland, Shane Holland, and Jessica James; and numerous greatgrandchildren. Visitation was Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Heritage Funeral Home in Escatawpa, Miss. Funeral services were Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005, at 2 p.m. from the chapel with Rev. Jerry Hamilton and Rev. Russell McDonald officiating. Burial will follow in Johnson Cemetery in Wade, Miss. Pallbearers will be Ernie Havard, Brandon James, George Wilkinson, Jericho Hamilton, Teresa Havard, and Brad Bradshaw. Arrangements by Heritage Funeral Home, Escatawpa, Miss. Locally owned and operated. —————— SALISBURY Hudis Odell Salisbury, 77 of Gautier, Miss. passed away, Sept. 14, 2005, in Gautier, Miss. Mr. Salisbury was a life long resident of the Gautier area, having been born on May 11, 1928, in the Fountainbleau Community. He was easily recognized around town by the hard hat he always wore. His greatest pleasure was fishing and doing for others. Our community will miss seeing his face and his good deeds will be remembered. He was a member of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Gautier. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ann Salisbury, on Sept. 19, 2003. He is survived by his daughter, Amanda Burge ( James C.) Millender’s Funeral Home We honor all PRE-PLANNED & BURIAL Insurance policies 100% from other funeral homes 475-5448 4412 Main Street • Moss Point THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Publication USPS 354420 - Issn: 1059-7166 The Mississippi Press continues The Chronicle, The Chronicle Star and the Moss Point Advertiser, published daily. Second class postage paid at Pascagoula, MS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Mississippi Press, P.O. Box 849, Pascagoula, MS 39568-0849. 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Main Office 762-1111 Ocean Springs Bureau 875-8144 Lucedale Bureau 947-9933 of Gautier; a grandson, Jamie Burge also of Gautier; a brother, Herman Salisbury; three sisters, Ruthie Young, Tillie Sullivan, and Agnes Salisbury; a devoted sister-in-law, Iris King; numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and a host of friends. Visitation for Mr. Odell will be Friday, Sept. 16, 2005 from 10:30-12 noon at O’BryantO’Keefe Funeral Home in Gautier. Graveside service will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery with Rev. Larry McVeay officiating. Arrangements by O’BryantO’Keefe Funeral Home, Gautier, Miss. Main Office Fax Ocean Springs Fax Lucedale Fax 934-1454 875-4499 947-8327 All carriers, dealers and distributors are independent contractors, keeping their own accounts free from control. Therefore, The Mississippi Press, Inc., is not responsible for advance payments made to them, their agencies, or representatives. However, we do have a Pay-by-Mail Subscription Department, whereby you can pay direct to The Mississippi Press for your newspaper in advance. —————— MONTGOMERY Mr. Frank Lee Montgomery, 82, of Moss Point, Miss., passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005. He was born Sept. 20, 1922 in Tunnel Springs, Ala. At an early age, he confessed his faith in Christ at Amity Missionary Baptist Church. He served in the army and was a World War II veteran. Mr. Montgomery worked at Ingalls shipyard until his retirement in 1987. Mr. Montgomery was preceded in death by his father and mother, Frank and Nancy Richardson Montgomery; his daughter, Dorothy Louise Seals; a son, Eckerson Lyndbert Montgomery; four sisters; and five brothers. He is survived by his devoted wife of 58 years, Mamie Montgomery; six sons, Edward (Edna) Montgomery, Richard (Mary) Montgomery, both of Moss Point, Miss., Raymond (Mary) Montgomery, Gautier, Miss., John Montgomery, Harvey, La., Sherman (Darleen) Grandison, League City, Texas, Curles (Debra) Montgomery, Pascagoula, Miss.; one daughter-in-law, Geraldine Montgomery, Jackson, Miss.; one son-in-law, Clayton Seals, Jr., Moss Point, Miss.; 16 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral service will be held at First Baptist Church, Moss Point, Miss. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005, at 2 p.m. Visitation will be two hours prior to service. Interment will be at First Baptist Cemetery, Moss Point, Miss. Arrangements by Robinson’s Friendly Funeral Home, Moss Point, Miss. HOUSES GUTTED CHEAP CALL: 228-235-4641 JORDAN Judie M. Jordan, 66, of Ocean Springs, Miss., died Saturday afternoon at the Ocean Springs Hospital. Born in Dearborn, Mich., Mrs. Jordan lived on the Coast for the past 43 years, working as a registered nurse at several Coast hospitals for the past 20 years. Mrs. Jordan served in the U.S. Army before she met and married her husband Oscar Jordan, and moved to Mississippi, first living in Oxford and then moving to Ocean Springs. Mrs. Jordan is survived by her husband of 45 years; two sons and daughters-in-law, Robert and Clarissa Jordan of Oxford, and James and Karen Jordan of Baton Rouge; two grandchildren, Hayley and Christopher Jordan of Baton Rouge. Other survivors include her mother-in-law, Jessie Jordan and sister-in-law, Eleanor Cissy Jordan of Latimer; and two sisters, Sherie Anderson of St. Johns, Mich. and Debbie Seivers of Dearborn Heights, Mich. Visitation will be from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, 2005, at the St. Paul United Methodist Church on Porter Avenue in Ocean Springs, Miss. Services will immediately follow the visitation. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be given to either the Salvation Army or the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief. Arrangements by HolderWells Funeral Home, Moss Point, Miss. Holder-Wells Funeral Home AREA DEATHS MRS. WILDA MAE ROUSE REEVES, 62, of Lucedale, Miss., died Sept. 13, 2005. George County Funeral Home, Lucedale, Miss. BABY KALEA SMOTHERS, 18 mos., of Moss Point, Miss., died Sept. 8, 2005. Millender’s Funeral Home, Moss Point, Miss. MRS. MARVA G. WELLS, 62, of Moss Point, Miss., died Sept. 14, 2005. Millender ’s Funeral Home, Moss Point, Miss. MARTHA BARNES, 52, of Pascagoula, Miss., died Sept. 13, 2005. Millender’s Funeral Home, Moss Point, Miss. “Obituaries over one inch in length are paid advertisements.” Stuart’s Home Demo & Repair Service 228-990-7988 FREE ESTIMATES Forestry commission to enforce burn ban By ROYCE ARMSTRONG The Mississippi Press LUCEDALE — Sixteen wild fires in four counties in four days recently kept firefighters on their toes. “There has been so little rain in recent weeks,” Drew Stafford, information officer for the Mississippi Forestry Commission, said, “and with all of the fuel on the ground in our forested areas, the risk of fire has been critical.” Local fire departments, forestry commission fire crews and FEMA have responded to the fires, Stafford said. Stafford said the risk of fire is greatest in southern counties but bans have been issued in northern counties, mainly due to lack of rains. As evidence about how critical the situation is, Stafford said there have been 16 wild fires, woods and grass fires in George, Jackson, Harrison and Pearl River counties over the past four days. These are fires reported to the forestry commission or requiring its help. “The Mississippi Forestry Commission has issued a burn ban for 29 counties,” Stafford said. The fires in the four counties have been put out by local firefighters, Forestry Commission firefighters and FEMA crews with helicopters. These fires do not include the numerous grass and woods fires handled by local firemen without Forestry Commission assistance. Stafford said violators may face fines of up to $500 if convicted of violating the burn ban, which includes all fires not in a container such as an incinerator or an outdoor grill. George County firefighters have responded to eight calls since Sunday, according to fire coordinator Lorraine Howell. Six were structure fires and two were wild fires. At least some of the structure fires were electrical, possibly caused by shorts or damage to wiring as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The wildfires, she said, appear to have been caused by people burning debris, which got out of control. The situation is made more dangerous because of all of the drying wood and leaf material and the dry, windy weather, Howell said. “There is a penalty for violating the burn ban,” she said, “and we are taking this seriously.” Stafford pointed out storm Mattress City Choice Sets Firm Set Plush Set Pillow Top Set SpringAir Set Beautyrest Set Queens $149 $269 $299 $499 $649 Kings $199 $349 $399 $699 $999 $$Another 5% Off with mention of Ad (Not Valid with any other offer. Exp. 09/30/05) Gautier 522-3201 3400 Hwy. 90 (Next to City Hall) M-F 10-6 Saturday 10-5 90 Days SAC Accept All Major Credit Cards debris will be removed by contractors hired by city and county officials. This removal is paid by FEMA. “There is simply no reason for people to burn at this time,” he said. “They should be taking the storm debris to the nearest road right of way.” Stafford also offered tips for assessing the condition of trees damaged by the storm but still standing. “If there are broken limbs in the crown, they should be removed,” he said. “If more than 25 percent of the crown is damaged, you should consider cutting down the tree. If there are visible cracks in the trunk of the tree, it is a hazard and should be removed. Or, if there is raised soil around the roots where roots have been pulled loose or the root ball is exposed, the tree will probably die and should be removed.” Stafford noted that damaged trees that are still standing, but do not pose an immediate threat might be left standing for a few weeks. “The damage caused by this storm was so extensive and so widespread that crews are working full time just removing the dead and dying trees. If you can let a damaged tree wait a few weeks before having it cut down, it will probably be easier to find a qualified arborist or tree removal company to do the job.” He also had some pointers for selecting a qualified arborist or tree removal firm. “Be sure and find someone who is insured and bonded,” he said. “Ask for references and call the references.” Reporter Royce Armstrong may be reached at rarmstrong@mspressonline.com or (601) 947-9933. TEST DRIVE THE BEST! Keith Kingan’s Classic Cars VIC SHERRILL For An Ace Of A Deal On A Late Model High Line Automobile Or SUV Come See My Hardware At Classic Cars of Mobile. For BMW, Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes And Many More. This Is The Place. Call Me Today at 1-800-763-6700 Visit Our Website @ Kingancars.com REMEMBER...EVERYONE DRIVES A USED CAR Keith Kingan’s 3251 Cottage Hill Rd. 251-479-6676 • 1-800-763-6700 Mobile, AL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 3-A THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Contact: Lance Davis, News Editor, (866) 834-9020 E-mail address: news@mspressonline.com LOCAL SCHOOL BELLS RING George County starts school second time ■ Students fall back into routine of classes By ROYCE ARMSTRONG The Mississippi Press Carisa Anderson/The Mississippi Press Classes at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County campus in Gautier resumed Wednesday after being closed for two-and-a-half weeks after Hurricane Katrina. Area high school students have the option to enroll at MGCCC in order to earn credit toward their high school diplomas while local schools struggle to reopen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Teams to attack chemical spills ■ Environmental group identifies hundreds of Katrina related chemical spills By BILL FINCH Mobile Register A national environmental hazards group operating out of Mobile has identified at least 450 chemical spills or similar incidents in Alabama and Mississippi associated with Hurricane Katrina. More than 200 people, representing various federal and state agencies, are working out of the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center north of Mobile Regional Airport to locate and address the environmental hazards unleashed by the hurricane two weeks ago. Another group, based in Baton Rouge, La., is handling a separate set of operations in Louisiana. “The scope of this is well beyond any state to handle alone,” said Bruce Freeman, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s state coordinator at the Coast Guard operations center. The U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency officials, who are working together to direct the effort, said the number of reported spills and the personnel required to handle them is likely to continue to grow in the coming weeks. "Who knows how long this could go on,” said Rod Elkins, the Coast Guard’s Gulf Strike Team deck officer. The Coast Guard group, which has its permanent base of operations in Mobile, is a sort of multi-agency hazmat team that addresses difficult spills and unusual threats on a daily basis. But hurricanes, officials said, wreak havoc on a scale that requires more resources and cross-state coordination than the 38-member team can manage. The hangar and offices w h er e th e str ike t ea m is based is now an improvised encampment for scientists from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, EPA and dozens of contract workers specializing in mapping and other specialized skills. These scientists, some of whom have been called in from as far away as Pennsylvania, are charged with coordinating with state regulators from Alabama and Mississippi to make sure that spills are addressed in appropriate ways. One of the difficulties and frustrations that the group has faced in the days after Katrina is setting priorities when so many problems need attention, some of which presented the possibility of an immediate loss of life. "We weren’t going to complain about a fuel tank (in Alabama) when there was a chlorine and ammonia leak” that threatened the lives of residents in Mississippi, Freeman said. The most immediate threats to life are now under control, he said, and the group has been turning its attention to the more long-term threats, such as the hundreds of leaking boats and fuel cylinders and chemical tanks scattered through the area. Team members said they had already started a partial cleanup of an oil spill on the Mobile River, which appears to have several sources and spread for almost two miles along the marsh. For now, workers have been d irect ed t o c u t d o w n an d remove the vegetation conspicuously coated with oil. But Bradford Benggio, a NOAA support coordinator, said the group may have to reassess in a few weeks and direct a more sophisticated and thorough cleanup of the area. Dean Ullock, an EPA official who coordinates the activities of the Gulf Coast Strike Team, noted that Katrina’s damages were far more widespread and severe than the damage done last year by Hurricane Ivan. The cleanup after Ivan, he said, took the better part of six months. “This,” he said, “could go on for years.” VFW helps veterans hurt by hurricane By BRAD CROCKER The Mississippi Press PASCAGOULA — “Commander, I joined the right organization.” That’s what an Iraq veteran who lost everything to Hurricane Katrina told Donnie Verucchi, state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Mississippi, after receiving $200 from the organization for hurricane relief assistance. “That made my day,” Verucchi said of the Meridian soldier’s comment. Verucchi was at VFW Post 3373 in Pascagoula distributing money to VFW members who lost homes and possessions to the Category 4 storm that hit Mississippi on Aug. 29. Since Tuesday, Verucchi said more than 270 members of the VFW and the group’s ladies auxiliary unit, for which his wife, Carolyn. serves as state president, have “really poured their hearts out of the terrible tales of destruction of their property, but fortunately, there have been no member deaths reported.” Andrew D. Booker, 82, of Moss Point, rode the storm out at home with his 84-year-old wife, Veronica. Damage to their home included the roof, sheet metal, siding and shutters. Booker worries about his elderly friends and neighbors, some who lost everything and are left without means to get the help they need. “It was kinda rough,” Booker said of the storm’s fury and aftermath on the community. The $200 VFW contribution made him feel “real good to be a member of the organization.” Henry F. Little, 78, who along with his Pinecrest subdivision neighbors in Pascagoula received extensive flooding in their homes, agreed. Booker, a U.S. Navy veteran, and Little, a U.S. Army combat engineer, both served during World War II. They said they agreed with early reports that Katrina will cost America more than fighting two world wars. “It was as bad as looking on TV and what it looked like in Europe after World War II,” said Little, who also served in Korea. “Some people don’t even have a slab.” Booker said he believes the costs will be comparable to the wars. “I can see it with the total devastation that happened,” Booker said. “They said there was a 90,000-square-mile area that was affected. That’s a big area.” The relief money goes along with VFW’s commitment to all Americans as one of the nation’s largest community service providers, said Bob Cochran Jr., vice commander of Post 3373. “We’re always giving something to the community like the Carisa Anderson/The Mississippi Press "I've been through two wars and I've never seen devastation like this," said Henry F. Little of Pascagoula, right, to Donnie Verucchi, the State Commander for the Mississippi Veterans of Foreign Wars. Verucchi came to Pascagoula to give each VFW member $200 to help them recover from Hurricane Katrina. Little, a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict, is a member of VFW Post 3373. Reporter Brad Crocker can ball teams and churches. Now is the time for the VFW to give be reached at bcrocker@mssomething to their own mem- pressonline.com or (866) 843bers,” Cochran said. 9020. L.C. “Doc” Blanchard, public relations officer for the state VFW and past state commander, TRINGER S LECTRICAL ERVICES said the resources came from Licensed & Insured other states and national organF R E E E S T I M AT E S ization to help meet the needs of Mississippi VFW members. Call 228-990-9949 S ’ E S other day and tested all of our circuits. They said everything was fine. This problem apparently didn’t show up.” The Middle School gym and arts building uses a different power source from the main classroom building. The power failure did not include those two buildings, so students were moved to the gym. By 10 a.m. Horn called parents and gave them the option of picking up their children early or letting them remain at school for the rest of the day. “Makeshift classes were going to be held in the two buildings with electricity,” she said. “The power company assured us we would have electricity by tomorrow. Perhaps we can have everything back to normal by then.” The power problem at the middle school also affected the Lucedale Intermediate School. The intermediate school suffered more storm damage than most buildings in the district. This included losing the roof of an entire wing. This section of the building housed six classrooms and the cafeteria. In order to resume classes, meals are to be prepared at the middle school and transported to the intermediate school. With the power loss at the middle school, sack lunches for the students were hastily prepared. “We should have hot lunches again tomorrow,” Williams said. Despite the inconveniences, the high school will resume its football schedule Friday night when the Rebels host the Gautier High School Gators. “Our focus is on academics,” Wallace said, “but sports is part of the school experience. Everyone knows that there is supposed to be high school football on Friday night. I believe it is important to resume our football schedule. It is important for the students, but it is also important for the community. Football is an important release of tension for everyone; it gives people something to think about other than the trauma we have all been through.” Reporter Royce Armstrong may be reached at rarmstrong@mspressonline.com or (601) 947-9933. LUCEDALE — Blocked classrooms, electrical failures, dead telephones, sack lunches and altered class schedules were among the adjustments George County students and teachers faced Wednesday as they returned to school a second time this year. “It was almost like a second first day, George County High School principal Paul Wallace said. “At least this time most of the students knew where they were going. We didn’t have as many students lost as we did the first time.” The George County School system experienced a second first day of school this year, thanks to Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged Mississippi on Aug. 29. The school year was interrupted after only three weeks of classes when the storm damaged buildings and brought the school district and the county to a stand still with power outages, gasoline shortages and damage to homes, farms, fields and forests. The disruption lasted for two and a half weeks. It was a bumpy start for the second opening day of this alreadybumpy school year. “‘My books were lost in the hurricane’ may receive some special consideration for a few days,” joked Wallace. “One of the things we talked about in our teacher meeting yesterday was making sure we get our students back on a sound mental footing.” Other than concern for student welfare, Wallace said the day went smoothly. “The students I have spoken with were ready to come back to school,” he said. “It is fun to be out of school for the first day or two, but after that they are ready to get back into a normal routine. Youngsters this age want i n d e p e n d e n c e , bu t th e y always want structure. A school is a safe place. We work very hard to make it a saf e e n v i r o n me n t w h e r e learning takes place.” Tony Williams, principal at L u c e d al e I n te r me d i ate School, agreed. “The students were excited this morning,” he said. “For the most part, they picked up right where they left off before the storm. Nothing in their schedule has changed,” he said, “despite the damage to the building.” G e o r g e Co u n ty M i d d l e • Hurricane Debris Cleanup School principal Patsy Horn • Tree Removal • Tractor Work said students were ready to • Lawn & Shrub Maintenance come back. For the middle ~ Fully Insured ~ school, though, the first day Serving Pascagoula, Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs didn’t last very long for some students. Power failed in the CALL 475-6048 main building at 8 a.m. “We were powering up the electrical systems and the Say you saw it in computers when the lights went out,” Horn said. “The THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS power company was here the Rosie’s Fashions Twice A Year Sale All Evening Gowns Sizes 0-8X 10000 Cash only on sale No checks, No Credit Card Sale Ends 9/30 Rosie’s Fashions 3 5 1 0 C OT TA G E H I L L ROA D MOBILE, AL 251-661-0660 4-A THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS KATRINA AFTERMATH UPDATE RED CROSS SHELTERS — Displaced evacuees are encouraged to take advantage of the Red Cross facilities. Citizens are able to freely come and go as needed. • Vancleave High School (Miss. 57 and Ballpark Road). • East Central High School (Miss. 614 off Slider Road) has been MOVED to Riverfront Community Center (4412 Hwy. 90 in Moss Point’s Orange Grove Community). • Christus Victor Lutheran Church (2755 Bienville Blvd. or U.S. 90 in Ocean Springs). • Gautier Convention Center (just north of U.S. 90 on Library Lane). • St. Paul’s United Methodist Church East Campus (Miss. 57 and U.S. 90 in Ocean Springs). • Special Medical Needs Facility — Singing River Mall at Conrad’s Restaurant (U.S. 90 in Gautier). • Hot Kitchen at First Baptist Church (Live Oak Avenue in Pascagoula) — food only. SALVATION ARMY HOT MEALS (Noon to 7 p.m.) — look for changes. • Volunteers call (228) 762-7222. • Pascagoula High School (off Market Street) — new. • Roving unit on Fountainbleau Road, Cook Road at Tucker Road in west Jackson County — new. • Roving unit in Escatawpa community in Nathan Hale. • First Baptist Church of Helena (Wildwood at Saracennia Road). • Singing River Mall in Gautier (U.S. 90). • Simmons Bayou Road in Ocean Springs. • Jefferson Street Complex in Moss Point. HEALTH — new • Jackson County Health Department has set up a mobile medical unit in the parking lot of its old site on Hospital Road (8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily). • Services available include: family planning (re-supply), limited child. health illness care; and tetanus shots and all Jackson County Health Department services are free. • The WIC warehouse is also opened with a nutritionist onsite. CHAIN SAW SAFETY • Always wear the appropriate protective equipment, including hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, heavy work gloves, cut resistant leg wear (chain saw chaps) that extend from the waist to the top of the foot, and boots which cover the ankle. • Avoid contact with power lines until the lines are verified as being de-energized. • Always cut at waist level or below to ensure that you maintain secure control over the chain saw. • Bystanders or co-workers should remain at least two tree lengths (at least 150 feet) away from anyone felling a tree and at least 30 feet from anyone operating a chain saw to remove limbs or cut a fallen tree. • Take extra care in cutting “spring poles;” trees or branches that have gotten bent, twisted, hung up on, or caught under another object during a high wind. • If the tree or the branch is suddenly released, it may strike the person cutting it, or a bystander, with enough force to cause serious injury or death. FEMA-Temporary Housing • FEMA in conjunction with MEMA has developed several temporary housing optionsfor individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. • Travel trailers, mobile homes and other prefabricated structures are being brught in to provide interim housing. • Identification for occupants of travel trailers and mobile homes are being done by several methods. FEMA and the State of Mississippi are coordinating the efforts. to be eligible for the temporary housing, an individual or family will be required to register for FEMA assistance at 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362). SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK DISTRIBUTION • September check distribution is over. • Checks not already delivered are being returned to the Social Security Administration. • If you have not received your September check, call your local Social Security office. • Call 1-800-772-1213 for more information. UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE • The United States Postal Service has a retail van at the Gautier Post Office, 1600 US 90 in Gautier. Customers will have access to postal products and services at the van. NEW HOPE CENTER (for immigrant assistance ONLY) • The New Hope Center is opened to provide information and assistance to Gulf Coast immigrants whose primary language isn’t English. Translators who speak Vietnamese, Spanish and French staff the center. The center is set up with computers and Internet service. The New Hope Center is located in Biloxi on Howard Avenue. EDUCATION • Pascagoula School District is expected to re-open Oct. 3. • Administrators and guidance counselors should report daily at 7 a.m. at Pascagoula High School. • All hourly employees must report at 8am at War Memorial Stadium. • Contact number: 228-938-6443. • Moss Point School District is expected to re-open Sept. 26. • Ocean Springs School District is expected to re-open Sept. 26. • Ocean Springs’ Greyhounds will play the Carencro High School Bears from Louisiana. This has been changed to a road game. • Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is expected to re-open Sept. 14. CHILLING OUT In prime-time speech, Bush to commit to rebuilding Gulf Coast WASHINGTON (AP) — The Gulf Coast will be mended, President Bush intends to pledge in a prime-time address Thursday from New Orleans in which he plans to offer new federal spending for the monumental task of helping hurricane victims rebuild their lives. Bush planned to outline a broad plan for reconstruction of lives and communities now and in the long term, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday. Presidential advisers drafting the speech were working on plans for legislation that would provide job training and housing for people who have to start over, according to one Republican official. The advisers also were discussing tax credits for businesses to stay in the devastated region, said the official, who was consulted but wanted to remain anonymous because Bush had yet to deliver the speech. Bush planned to describe his understanding of the suffering brought on by the killer storm while charting a hopeful vision for the future. Many people, including members of the president’s party, have said Bush should have given that kind of speech soon after the hurricane made landfill in Louisiana on Aug. 29. Rather than speak before a live audience, Bush planned to stand alone and broadcast his message directly into the camera. The White House had yet to announce the site of the speech, which was to follow Bush’s visit to Mississippi. The format would be similar to the somber speech he gave in front of the Statue of Liberty three years ago on the first anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Casinos From Page 1-A Gulf Coast,” St. Pé said. “I view that as extremely encouraging.” Mississippi legalized dockside casinos in 1990, limiting them to already touristy areas on the waters of the Mississippi River or the Mississippi Sound. The first casinos opened in 1992. The thriving gaming industry along the Gulf Coast generated $500,000 a day in tax revenue before Katrina hit Aug. 29. More than half of the 13 coast casinos — 12 that were already open and one that was set to open this month — were heavily damaged. Gov. Haley Barbour is expected to call a special legislative session in the coming weeks, and lawmakers say a change in gaming laws could be on the agenda. Barbour has not taken a public position on the question. William Perkins, spokesman for the Mississippi Baptist Convention, said the convention opposes allowing casinos on land. The Baptists are the state’s largest religious group, making up about a quarter of the population. A Mississippi law enacted this year allows casinos to be built on pilings to provide more stability in storms. None had time to do that, and it’s not clear whether pilings would have made much difference in a hurricane like Katrina, with storm surges approaching 30 feet. The dockside casinos have revived the slumping tourist trade along the Mississippi coast. Biloxi became a mini Atlantic City as jangling slot machines and neon signs elbowed out the shrimpers’ ice houses along the sandy beach. Katrina’s effect on the Mississippi economy could be severe. About 14,000 people work in the dozen casinos along the coastline. Each casino has a land-based hotel. St. Pé said he also spoke Wednesday with executives of International Game Technology, one of the largest makers of slot machines. “We’re satisfied that the matter of replacing the thousands of slot machines will not be a hindrance,” he said. Hood From Page 1-A “We talk with them and allow them to vent and tell their story,” he said. “They sit down in tears and then they regain their composure and confidence to go on and do what they have to do,” Sasser said. What they “have to do” is plenty, but there is a wide assortment of help present at the recovery center. Along with the crisis group, there are also representatives for the Blue Roof program, the Small Business Administration, the Mississippi Bar Association, Medicaid and the American Red Cross. There is even help with unemployment, housing and a daycare for children while their parents are receiving support. “They have been a tremendous help, and ‘tremendous’ is not a big enough word,” said Gary Wiley, manager of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. “We have seen some people come in here that have basically lost everything in their life and (NOVA’s) helping,” Wiley said. “They’re walking around watching for these people, starting conversations so they can get it out.” Reporter Clair Byrd can be reached at cbyrd@mspressonline.com or (866) 8439020. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 William Colgin/The Mississippi Press Children enjoy the rare privilege of air-conditioning in a tent Wednesday in Bay St. Louis, where food is served to more than 4,000 people daily by the Christian Life Church of Orange Beach, Ala. Bush From Page 1-A The Florida Highway Patrol, along with other relief agencies, had set up a staging area in Tallahassee before the storm, said Capt. Jeffrey L. Succi, a highway patrol district commander from Ocala, Fla. “First we went to Jackson County,” Succi said. “Until today, we had half in Jackson (County), and half in Hancock (County).” On Tuesday, the highway patrol moved out of Jackson County, citing an “enhanced response” capability in that area. In Waveland, southwest of Bay St. Louis, the Orange County, Fla., police department assumed all law enforcement duties the day after Katrina hammered the Coast. To replace the 26 Waveland police cars destroyed by Katrina, the sheriff ’s office provided vehicles the day after the storm hit, Barbour said. “We’ll be here as long as it takes,” Cpl. Richard Jones of Orlando, Fla., said, through a ragged stubble beard and red eyes. “It could be several months.” Until recently, Jones, who works in the marine unit, was working on search and rescue operations. “Not so much rescue anymore,” he said, 17 days after Katrina ravaged the Coast. “When we got here, there was no radio systems — nothing. (We) set up the towers to dispatch calls,” Cpl. Mike Wilson, also of Orlando, added with his arm outstretched across the trash-strewn shopping center parking lot that serves as a staging area for Florida law enforcement and National Guard operations. The sheriff’s deputies are operating on 10-day rotations, and the Waveland contingent of the Orange County force is staffed entirely with volunteers. Ocean Springs is also receiving support from 10 officers from the Florida Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Compliance department, which has been in the area for nearly three weeks. Though the officers normally work in commercial vehicle enforcement, they are fully vested with the authority to act as law enforcement officers. “This is almost a common ordeal for us in Florida in the summer,” Lt. Dave Carlton of Wildwood, Fla., said. “After losing power for a couple weeks, it was hard,” Carlton recalled from the devastation caused by Hurricane Charlie in Central Florida last year. “But I’d hate to lose everything like these folks in Mississippi did.” Some aid has been slow in coming to Bay St. Louis, which had a population of 8,209 in 2000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a “soft” Disaster Relief Center Sept. 9, which is now capable of servicing 600 people per day. “This is primarily a place for people to get registered (for aid),” FEMA Public Information Officer Jess Seigal said. Across the parking lot, a series of large airconditioned tents set up by the Christian Life Church of Orange Beach, Ala., stands ready to accommodate displaced residents with food, water, hand-washing stations and rest rooms. “We accommodate 4,000 people a day,” Vince Burchfield, a church member, said. The church had set up the relief efforts two days after the hurricane hit. “(We) fed 10,000 people before FEMA put their boots on,” Burchfield said. The devastation is far-reaching. As far as seven miles inland, storm surge damage is evident. Many houses, if left standing, are separated from their foundations and scattered about as if by a capricious child. South of the staging area on U.S. 90, the impact becomes even more apparent. “We completely lost our home,” Waveland resident John Gurrisi said as he and his wife, Delia, tried to cool down in an air-conditioned tent set up by the Christian Life Church. They moved there in June from California to retire. “We left at the urging of our daughter to Crestview, Fla., and slept in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in our van. We spent two nights there,” Gurrisi said. The Gurrisis were eventually admitted to the Crestview Red Cross shelter, but were invited by a local deputy sheriff, Sam Otto, to stay at his daughter’s house. His daughter, who was away, had left instructions with her father to let any evacuees use the house. Two days later, they left for Waveland. “We couldn’t care for our dogs,” Gurrisi said, suddenly tearing up. “They were hungry, foaming at the mouth. We put them in an adoption center (in Crestview) — that was the hardest part.” “I don’t think I’ve ever been without a dog,” Delia Gurrisi said, her eyes moist. They had owned the dogs, one a chocolate Labrador retriever, the other a Sheltie, for 10 years. Like many residents, the Gurrisis plan to rebuild, although their house was heavily damaged and they did not have flood insurance. “You know what you could do for us?” she said, blinking. “Pray. Pray for wisdom.” Bush empathized with the residents of the Coast. “The mayor of Waveland had that look,” he said. “I understand what it feels like, to be overwhelmed by the magnitude. “We’re fortunate to be able to lend a hand.” Ryan Sirmons can be reached at rsirmons@mspressonline.com or (866) 843-9020. Evacuees From Page 1-A “This is a small solution,” Barbour told a news conference. “We are going to look at base camps and modular cities, if you will. But I just want to say to you we are not where we need to be on temporary housing.” Housing on the ship will be made available to displaced residents of Jackson County, on the Alabama border. The governor did not provide a timetable or other details about the ship. Barbour called the lack of temporary housing for thousands of Katrina evacuees “far and away our biggest problem.” He said about 2,000 travel trailers and mobile homes are en route to hurricane-ravaged areas of Mississippi but most are still in staging areas, and fewer than 250 were ready for occupancy. Even if 500 mobile homes could be set up every day, it would take two months to get to 30,000, Barbour said. “And I just don’t think we can wait 60 days. ... We are asking Homeland Security to give us more temporary hous- ing and to come up with more creative alternatives for what we have,” he said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported Wednesday that more than 216,000 Mississippi disaster victims have registered with the agency and more than $191 million in payments have been approved. Mike Beeman, a FEMA coordinator, said state, local and federal authorities are looking for 300,000 trailers and recreational vehicles to temporarily house Katrina victims in both Louisiana and Mississippi. FEMA will consider allowing people to put the fully furnished trailers on the sites of their damaged or flattened homes, but Beeman said final approval will rest with local authorities. The agency wants to be sure freestanding trailers are self-sufficient and rely on working sewage and water systems, he said. Emergency officials in Harrison County are planning to move hundreds of Katrina evacuees out of schoolhouse shelters by Saturday so officials can clean the buildings and resume classes. “Getting kids back in school would be a great thing to do,” county emergency management director Joe Spraggins said. Some of the shelter occupants will move into trailers. Others will be moved into public buildings. In Waveland, a town of 7,000 where little remains since a storm surge washed over it, residents began taking advantage of a mobile filtration unit that turns contaminated water into clean water. Timmy Carver, who has been living in tents in Waveland with his wife, sister, nieces and nephews, said the family had been using water from jugs to clean up and cool down until the unit from Ecosphere Technologies Inc. began operating this week. “It’s wonderful,” said Carver, a 35-year-old Bay St. Louis resident. “I cannot explain it. “It feels so good, it just feels so good on the body, because it’s hot — it’s hot down here in the daytime.” In Biloxi, a desalination unit is also now providing drinking water to the Biloxi Regional Medical Center. 6-A THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Contact: Paul South, Editorial Page Editor, (251) 219-5551 E-mail address: news@mspressonline.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 OPINION Gratitude for the kindness of strangers THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Wanda Heary Jacobs Publisher Steve Cox Tommy Chelette Editor Advertising Director Billy Wilder Circulation Director LETTERS POLICY The Mississippi Press encourages letters to the editor. Writers are encouraged to keep letters to 500 words or less. Letters can be submitted via: • Mail: The Mississippi Press, P.O. Box 849, Pascagoula, MS 39568. • E-mail: news@mspressonline.com • In person: 1225 Jackson Ave., Pascagoula. Letters will only be considered for publication if accompanied by the name, address and daytime telephone number of the letter writer. All submissions become the property of The Mississippi Press and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium. Our Opinion A new boss at FEMA Tucked away in a little-known office in the Department of Homeland Security, R. David Paulison led the U.S. Fire Administration, a division that works to reduce the economic and human toll of fires. But talk to Florida firefighters who know Paulison, and consider his resume’ before heading to Washington, and it looks as if Paulison is the right man to take the reins at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Before joining FEMA, Paulison was chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, overseeing 1,900 personnel and a $200 million budget. He began his career as a rescue firefighter, part of the first responders to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the crash of a ValuJet airliner in the Everglades in 1996. He is also a certified paramedic. Paulison knows the challenges faced by first responders and the pain of Katrina’s victims on the Gulf Coast. His selection has drawn congressional praise on both sides of the aisle. Thirty years of experience, many of them as a first responder, have well prepared him for the job.. And it was a good first step earlier this week when Paulison said the first priority under his leadership will be housing for the thousands displaced by Katrina. “We’re going to get people out of the shelters. We’re going to move on and get them the help they need,” Paulison said. In fact, we’re likely to see the biggest boom in government housing since the end of World War II. What’s encouraging about Paulison’s simple pledge is that he clearly sees in human terms the tremendous losses inflicted by Katrina. He sees them with a firefighter’s eyes, a firefighter’s mind, a firefighter’s heart. That’s desperately needed, especially when you consider that in the days after the storm, local governments were largely on their own. For example, Christian Life Church member Vince Burchfield of Orange Beach, Ala., said the church serves 4,000 people daily in storm-ravaged Bay St. Louis. FEMA, which coincidentally shares the same Bay St. Louis parking lot with Christian Life Church, has serviced only 600 daily, according to Jess Seigal, an agency spokesman. “(We) fed 10,000 people before FEMA put their boots on,” Burchfield said. We hope Paulison will change that. Paulison faces a mountain of challenges in his new job as interim FEMA director. He needs our prayers — and our support — as the Gulf Coast rebuilds in the coming months and years. Rebuilding Jackson County The Rebuild Jackson County Hurricane Relief Fund is a marvelous step forward by local business leaders, community leaders and out-of-towners who care about the Coast. It’s an even better idea to make it a global initiative. We believe such an approach can rebuild a better county. But with all due respect, we’d ask leaders to consider a strategic plan, just as the city of Pascagoula initiated recently with its steering committee. Taking that a step further, consider this: If Katrina was anything, it was democratic: Rich and poor, black and white, Hispanic and Asian-American, elderly and young all know painfully well that this savage hurricane was no respecter of person or position. We’d urge the leaders taking this forward-thinking step to establish a committee representative of the entire county. If there is a silver lining in these days of black clouds, it is that Katrina gives us an opportunity to rebuild the Gulf Coast as we want it, with a vision that could set not only a state standard, but a global benchmark. That means not just a powerful or monied few, but all of us. As Dr. Dewey Lane rightly put it: “This is an overwhelming tragedy, but a huge opportunity.” Granted, capital, scads of it, will be needed from the public and private sector to invest and rebuild the Coast. But the voices of everyone with a stake in Jackson County should be heard in this effort. Just as Katrina was democratic in its savagery, the reconstruction of Jackson County should be democratic in listening to ideas from all corners of the county. No idea should be discounted, or immediately swept from the table. There should be no such thing as a dumb idea, or a dumb question. Such a monumental task should not be left only to those in positions of power, but to all of us. This is an opportunity not only to recraft our county in bricks and mortar, but to reshape its spirit. There is the potential for Jackson County to be not separate communities, but one county, where race, age and social standing don’t matter. What a wonderful county we can have. Newhouse News Service Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, left, Alabama Gov. Mike Riley and President Bush review a map of the disaster-stricken Gulf Coast with Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, one week before Brown’s resignation. The roots of federal failure run deep have a lot of responsibility,” he said. “Part of this is embedded in the system that we don’t c.2005 Newhouse News Service want a strong federal presence. ... The founders were clear in wanting to protect citiWASHINGTON — The muddled federal zens from the national government.” response to Hurricane Katrina has exposed a Hence the initial and continuing confusion simple truth well known among government insiders: For reasons that run deep and prob- over who is in charge of the response to Katrina, the awkward breach between active-duty ably can’t be fixed, Washington has difficulty military commanders and the National making long-range plans, coordinating its Guard, the quarreling between Louisiana Gov. actions and tackling the tough political decisions required for swift disaster response and Kathleen Blanco and Washington. Despite the lessons of the recent past, “the other critical responsibilities. bureaucratic infighting and turf protection Katrina’s immediate aftermath saw heroic seem undiminished,” said Richard Benservice by individuals and stellar work by Veniste, a member of the Sept. 11 commission agencies such as the Coast Guard and U.S. that aired the government’s shortcomings Postal Service — the latter of which acted on early storm warnings and saved thousands of related to the 2001 terrorist attacks. A second structural problem is embedded in tons of mail by diverting it from the hurrithe calendar. cane’s path. “If it’s beyond the next election cycle, we’ll But overall, as President Bush finally worry about it next year after we get ouracknowledged this week, Katrina “exposed selves elected,” said Winslow Wheeler, recentserious problems in our response capability.” ly retired chief defense analyst for the Senate How could this happen? Budget Committee. Safeguarding its citizens is government’s Work within the executive branch is simihighest calling, and certainly no one in govlarly compressed, first by a four-year clock of ernment service is actively working against that responsibility. Then why have the repeat- presidential elections, then by the sheer number of crises. ed warnings of experts and blue-ribbon comAdams, senior budget director for national missions gone unheeded? Why, four years security in the Clinton administration, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, described his White House work this way: “I revealed precisely these deficiencies, have we am standing with a paddle in the middle of a not come to grip with them? big room. All around the edge of the room, The answers go to the very heart of Ameripeople are throwing balls at me. My job is can democracy. deciding which balls to hit back. In the White “You’ve got to redesign the system,” said House, that’s long-range planning.” Newt Gingrich, former conservative RepubliIn that kind of pressure cooker, “you become can speaker of the House and fiery governrisk-averse,” said Wheeler, author of “The ment reformer. Washington veterans cite these key factors: Wastrels of Defense: How Congress Sabotages U.S. Security.” • Power and authority, as the founding “If you are outside the conventional wisdom, fathers intended, are scattered across Conyou are vulnerable,” he said. “Both parties gress, the White House, executive agencies have purged themselves of big thinkers and a and on through state and local governments. diversity of views.” That complicates coherent planning, allocaSo bad is the bureaucratic undertow, Gintion of money and accountability. grich said, that if you dropped a couple of • Two- or four-year election cycles keep attention spans short and focused on the next whiz-bang business executives into the federal campaign. Money is appropriated year to year, government, “in 60 days they’d become slower and less competent.” with results demanded immediately. And without clear political vision, the work • The executive and congressional bureaucracies stifle initiative and smother creativity, of Congress and the executive branch can disa problem some say has grown worse with the solve into parochial sniping and pork-barrel proliferation of congressional committees and politics. “Retail politics seem to trump leadership,” a subcommittees and the consolidation of independent agencies into the vast Department of frustrated Ben-Veniste pronounced after almost three years of investigating the govHomeland Security. • The rising demands of bitterly fought elec- ernment’s failures in the Sept. 11 attacks. tion campaigns tend to stifle political courage “Time and time again you see the political will is just lacking to make the kind of sacrifices and spur partisan squabbling. that are needed.” “Katrina laid all this bare — that AmeriNowhere is this clearer than in the federal cans don’t feel safe, and that’s the No. 1 essenmoney distributed in the name of homeland tial mission of government independent of party,” said Gordon Adams, director of securi- security, including terrorism and disaster prety policy studies at the Elliott School of Inter- paredness, a process that seems to ignore the most urgent needs. national Affairs at George Washington UniUnder congressional direction, for example, versity. the Department of Homeland Security last “It is a scary time,” said Joan Claybrook, a year handed out grants to states for “countertlongtime Washington player who headed the errorism” activities. South Dakota received National Highway Traffic Safety Administra$26.13 per capita, while New York — arguably tion in the Carter administration and is now a greater terrorist target — was given $5.37. president of Public Citizen, a government Wyoming was given $37.13 per capita, while reform group. New Jersey got $6.37, according to DHS fig“Every generation has seen challenges, but today we see the speed and destructive power ures. “No one in government is making hard of international and domestic threats. There choices,” said David Williams, vice president is little time to adjust,” she said. “We don’t of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonhave the luxury of time anymore.” Chief among the federal government’s struc- profit reform group in Washington. “It’s about tural problems is its division of responsibility, handing money out. There’s very little of somebody saying, ‘No.”’ said Paul Light, professor of public service at David Wood can be contacted at New York University and author of many david.wood@newhouse.com. Chuck books on government reform. “It’s built into the Constitution that we have McCutcheon can be contacted at chuck.mccutcheon@newhouse.com. a federal system where states and localities By DAVID WOOD And CHUCK McCUTCHEON My daughter has a good idea. The first order of business when we gather again as a Girl Scout troop should be to sit down together and write thankyou notes to everyone who has helped pull Jackson County through the storm. It’s a noble thought and I am tickled and proud that she is thinking in that direction. But there’s one flaw in her plan. We’d need an ocean of ink to pen the letters of thanks to all of those who have given so much of themselves to us. Every day I meet folks from someplace else. Holding the spoons that dished up my fruit salad, they hand me a plate of something hot and give me a smile. Loading the bottled water into the trunk of a borrowed car, they ask me if I need ice. Searching through piles of diapers, Donna they come Harris back with an armload of size 4T pull-ups for a friend’s granddaughter and offer a pack of baby wipes. In desert camouflage, they toss a few cases of MREs into my backseat and wish me a good day, ma’am. Leaning in the car window, they offer words of comfort and scripture from a worn King James version of the Holy Bible. Strangers have brought salvation to Jackson County. While this county climbs to its knees after Hurricane Katrina has laid it out flat, people from non-coastal communities have come here to help. I’ve met Rotarians from Florida who trucked over 3,000 pounds of meat to grill for anyone who wanted a meal. The Palatka Sunrise Rotary raised $8,000 in two days to feed the hungry in Moss Point. A new friend from Minnesota parked an 18-wheeler at the Carpenter’s Training Center on Miss. 63 a little ways north of the interstate to serve hot dogs and chili to the thousands who drove by. His was one of at least a dozen big rigs riding south with aid for displaced Mississippians. Churches of Christ in Tennessee packed moving boxes with supplies and sent them down for distribution. Each one had a Bible and a handwritten note of inspiration and concern. And it’s not just the National Guard, churches and organizations lending a humongous helping hand. Towns across America have reached out to us as well. South Mississippi has been blessed by foster parents galore, clambering to adopt our cities, our counties and our people in need. Castle Rock, Colo., wants to help us get back to a place better than before, thus Rebuild Jackson County was born. The fifth-wealthiest county in the country has big hearts and fat wallets. Other cities are standing in line to play parents to Pascagoula, Moss Point, Ocean Springs and Gautier. Out of the ruins of devastation and despair, we are finding kindness and love. Royce Cumbest, president and CEO of Merchants & Marine Bank, imagined the logo for the Rebuild Jackson County. It’s a flying eagle clutching a hammer by its talon. Eagles are the only birds who soar through storms, using the tumultuous winds to sail a better course, he said. Jackson County is that eagle with a heavy hammer to carry. With the help of all our new friends, we will be able to tote the load. Donna Harris is a reporter for The Mississippi Press. Her column appears on Thursday. She can be reached at dharris@mspressonline.com. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 7-A THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS ‘Let’s just find ways to get it done’ ■ State, federal education officials encourage local superintendents By ALLISON MATHER The Mississippi Press BILOXI — More than 150 officials from storm-ravaged schools across Mississippi gathered at Biloxi High School Wednesday to touch base and get answers from state and federal officials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The group met last week in Gulfport with State Superintendent Hank Bounds and Assistant Secretary of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education Dr. Henry L. Johnson to provide Bounds with a list of needs and questions as it works toward the reopening of schools. “Your communities don’t recover until your schools get back in session,” said Shawn Dennis, assistant superintendent of operations for Florida’s Escambia County schools. He was at the meeting to offer advice and answer questions about how to effectively react after a natural disaster. An unofficial expert, his district has faced four named hurricanes, a fire and a hailstorm in the last year. Bounds told the administrators he had answers to many of the questions raised at last week’s meeting. “The effort today is to help you, number one, recover from the effects of the storm and, (two), start school as quickly as possible,” he said. Johnson praised the efforts school administrators have made toward reopening school. “I’ve been impressed with the folks in Mississippi for the very first time that I met with you,” he said. He assured everyone the support for rebuilding schools extends all the way to the top. “My sense is from meeting with the president is that his notion is ‘Let’s just find ways to get it done’,” he said. “Our intent is to find the quickest and the best way to get to ‘yes’ to your requests,” Johnson said. After staff members from the state Department of Education addressed concerns about payment for non-certified hourly employees, new USDA processes for feeding children, dual enrollment for upperclassmen and virtual classrooms and the possibility of National Guardsmen teaching classes, Bounds provided the list of reimbursable items FEMA officials have approved. FEMA will cover lost textbooks, classroom furnishings, technology, teacher supplies, library books and the total reconstruction of school buildings, Bounds said. School buses will only be replaced if they’ve been totally destroyed. Otherwise, they will be repaired. In the meantime, the wheels are in motion to get students back in classrooms. “We’ve got 400 portables (temporary classrooms) ordered and on the way,” said Jason Dean, a policy advisor for the Katrina takes aim at economy WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Katrina is starting to eat into the economy, leading to concern that consumers will lose confidence and curtail spending. The government reported Wednesday that retail sales plummeted last month, even before the storm hit, as high gasoline prices jolted consumers. Also, industrial output was nearly flat, reflecting widespread shutdowns of oil platforms, refineries and chemical plants along the battered Gulf Coast. Analysts said they still believed Katrina will amount only to a temporary blow to the economy and that stronger growth will follow as rebuilding gets under way. But they said the impact could turn out more severe if soaring energy prices cause consumers to cut back very sharply on spending elsewhere. Industrial output posted a 0.1 percent gain in August. governor’s office. Bounds said he’s already talked to textbook publishers, and expects delivery of ordered books to take one to three weeks. Rebuilding school facilities will be challenging enough, but rebuilding the financial foun- dations of affected school districts will be even harder. Assessments for tax rolls are made in October, and taxes are collected in January. In many districts, Bounds said, the tax base is gone. Sen. Mike Chaney, education committee chairman, said the financial problems that will face schools are unprecedented in Mississippi’s history. “They’re issues that we’ve never dealt with before,” he said. “This is one time I don’t think any legislator is going to say they have all the answers.” State auditor Phil Bryant tried to assuage concerns. “One of the things I want to share with you is don’t fret or worry about your audit,” he said. However, he encouraged the superintendents to keep good records. “Document. Document. Doc- SHOP OLD TIME POTTERY! ument. That’s what FEMA’s going to tell you,” Bryant said. Schools in Jackson County are scheduled to reopen in about two weeks. Reporter Allison Mather can be reached at amather@mspressonline.com or (251) 219-5551. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 Contact: Lance Davis, News Editor, (866) 843-9020 E-mail address: news@mspressonline.com 1-B THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS LOCAL Tent city houses help for Gautier and beyond By JOY E. STODGHILL Greg Saunders of Annapolis, Md., with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. helps rebuild the home of Ira and Joyce Weaver on Swetman Beach Road in Gautier. The Weavers’ home of 35 years was gutted by Hurricane Katrina. Saunders is part of a group funded by the National Capital Presbytery currently living in a tent village in Gautier. The Mississippi Press GAUTIER — The grassy areas surrounding the Gautier Presbyterian Church have a much different look lately. Earth-colored tents dot the once-open area as teams with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America prepare for up to 150 volunteers to help rebuild the city after it was battered by Hurricane Ka-trina on Aug. 29. The tent city is the first of 15 such villages that will soon dot the Gulf Coast west from Gautier. The second camp will be set up in D’Iberville. The National Capital Presbytery, which includes churches in Virginia and Washington, D.C., is funding the effort. Gary Hurst, a 20-year-old college student, was in the process of transferring from a school in Texas to one in Virginia. After hearing a call for volunteers to help rebuild homes along the Coast, he decided to sit out a semester and is now volunteering his time to help hurricane victims. He said the Presbyterian volunteers brought enough lumber, tools, water, tents and portable toilets and showers to supply their large camps. “The whole point of this is to be completely self-contained,” Hurst said. He and five other team members will continue to set up tent cities as other volunteers arrive.They will be in the area until at least the end of Carisa Anderson/The Mississippi Press the month, Hurst said. Jim Jochum, another team member from Alexandria said they will have groups arriving Sept. 16 and Sept. 23 from Virginia churches. Jochum’s home church, Bush Hill Presbyterian Church is organizing the effort. The Rev. Carl Rush, pastor at Bush Hill, addressed the Gautier coun- cil Tuesday night. He let them know they are in the area and want city leaders to help them find areas where they can best be used. “We’re ahead of the game as far as setting up tent cities, but we don’t really know where to go in the cities,” explained Jochum. The team spent Wednesday afternoon in the devas- tated south Gautier area at a home being held up by four 2-by-4s. Hurst said they will work to make the structure more weatherproof and stable. Jochum said four licensed contractors and other volunteers from Annapolis, Md., are on their way to the area to help. Jochum said the group faced a number of challenges o n t h e w a y t o G a u t i e r, including a flat tire, a ruined transmission and moving their heavy cargo to a new truck. The team finally reached Jackson County only to have the oil line in the truck break 12 miles from the church. Hurst was driving the truck and stayed with it while it was being repaired. The rest of the team went ahead to set up camp. Jochum said they “lost a day and a half getting here,” but he said they are here and ready to work. Reporter Joy E. Stodghill can be reached at jstodghil @mspressonline.com or (251) 219-5551. 2-B THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 STATE/REGION Katrina agricultural loss tops $3 billion; timber hardest hit By LARRY NEUMEISTER The Associated Press AP Shrimp boats destroyed and blown from their moorings by Hurricane Katrina sit on the shores of a waterway Tuesday in Biloxi. Along the Coast, hundreds of fishermen lost their boats and even their homes when the storm devastated the area on Aug. 29. Katrina threatens to wipe out many Gulf Coast shrimpers By MATT APUZZO The Associated Pressr BILOXI — Hanh Luong has no home and no cash. The only thing he has left, and his only hope for the future, is the Santa Maria, a battered 98-foot fishing boat he worked years to buy. But two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, his boat remains tethered to what’s left of Biloxi’s piers. The polluted Gulf of Mexico is off-limits to shrimping and all the major processing plants between Alabama and Louisiana have been pulverized by Hurricane Katrina. “I need to fish,” the 52-year-old Vietnamese immigrant says. “I need shrimp.” These are desperate times for southern shrimpers. Much of the fleet is on land, in the trees, or splintered by the storm. “Boats are at the bottom of the water. People are dead inside,” says Dung Nguyen. Many of his fellow shrimpers stayed aboard their boats during the storm in a futile attempt to save them, he says. Those who survived, like Luong and Nguyen, can do little but wait. “This year, no more work. No jobs,” said Nguyen, a shrimper for the past 10 years. “They say shrimp is poison.” Katrina could not have come at a worse time for the $2.5 billion American shrimping industry, which has been buffeted for years by high gas prices and cheap imports from Asia. The once-dominant Gulf Coast shrimping business now supplies about 10 percent of the shrimp sold in the U.S., with Louisiana and Texas responsible for the biggest hauls. Most of the remainder is imported. Texas shrimpers escaped unscathed, but Hurricane Katrina threatens to wipe out many other Gulf Coast shrimpers. “It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back for some of them,” said Alabama shrimper Joey Rodriguez, who learned the trade on his grandfather’s boat and whose elderly father still fixes nets in the family shop. “If you’re somebody who was already down to the last thread of survival, just trying to keep the bills paid, this will leave you flat out.” For shrimpers like Rodriguez, the millions of dollars being lost each day along the Gulf Coast is only part of the tragedy. Shrimping is part of southern culture, a trade that is passed on and binds generations and families. For Nguyen and the many other Vietnamese immigrants, many now subsisting on donated food, shrimping was their American dream. The son of a fisherman, Luong came to Biloxi from Vietnam in 1980 and found a job shucking oysters. “I get some money, I buy a little boat and go to work,” he says. “I get some more money, I got a bigger boat.” Before the hurricane, he loaded thousands of pounds of shrimp into the freezer. Now he borrows $200 a day in gas to keep the generator running, hoping a processing plant will open soon. Other shrimpers just gave up, giving away thousands of pounds of raw shrimp or leaving it to rot in the sun. Luong can’t afford to give up. He borrowed nearly $700,000 to buy the Santa Maria. Though he’s paid off the loan, insurance won’t buy him a new home and the shrimping industry is so bad now, he couldn’t get $200,000 for his boat. “You’ve got families displaced out of heritages and livelihoods,” Rodriguez said. “It’s the only thing they’ve known. How each individual story plays out, God only knows.” Rodriguez works in Bayou La Batre, Ala., the setting for the shrimping scenes in the movie “Forrest Gump.” The situation is even worse in Mississippi and Louisiana, where processing plants were reduced to scrap metal and valuable equipment was thrown into the water. The only shrimp processing plant operating on the gulf is in western Texas. “In the past 10 years, we’ve lost half the commercial fleet,” said Rex Caffey, an agriculture professor at Louisiana State University’s Sea Grant program. “My guess is the next half will be, well, this could be the death knell.” “The hurricane just added misery on top of misery,” said Tommy Schultz, 73, a retired fisherman from Pascagoula, Miss. “At the end of town, where the seafood families live, it’s completely gone. There ain’t five structures down there. ... It’s the end of the line,” he said. BRIEFS Attorney general investigating gouging cases JACKSON — Fourteen-thousand dollars to remove a tree. Five dollars for a gallon of gas. Hotel rates through the roof for evacuees. Landlords threatening to evict tenants for higherpaying renters. The suffering from Hurricane Katrina continues as fears of consumer fraud flood phone banks at the Mississippi state attorney general’s office. As many as 3,500 calls a day since the storm hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. “We have had several hundred calls on price gouging, primarily, and some other scams that are seeming to creep up,” said Assistant Attorney General Grant Hedgepeth, who heads the office’s consumer protection division. He estimated “way in excess of 100” investigations are under way into profiteering on goods and services during Mississippi’s declared state of emergency. “I don’t care if it’s Labor Day weekend or an Ole Miss football weekend, you are not allowed to raise your prices during that time. Not during a state of emergency, you are locked into your customary price,” he said. One arrest has been made so far — a motel owner in Pearl, near Jackson, whose population doubled to about 800,000 from a wave of coastal evacuees, was charged Sept. 2 with two counts of price gouging on room rates. He faces up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Hedgepeth said the attorney general’s office was preparing to formally ask Gov. Haley Barbour to extend the month-long emergency declaration at least another 30 days. “There will be arrests long after this thing has been settled,” said Jacob Ray, spokesman for Attorney General Jim Hood. Bank provides loans for local governments in hurricane areas JACKSON — The Mississippi Development Bank is making available up to $100 million in loans to help local governments keep operating in areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina, state Treasurer Tate Reeves says. “This is the most efficient way we can help local governments quickly get the money they need for recovery and rebuilding,” Reeves said in a news release. Development bank directors met Wednesday in Jackson and authorized issuing up to $100 million in short-term bonds. Local governments can apply to the bank for the loans to assist with capital or working capital needs. Information about the loans is available from Bill Barry at the Mississippi Development Bank: 601-355-6232. JACKSON — Cotton fields are flattened. Hundreds of chicken houses are destroyed. Timber and pecan trees are splayed across the ground. Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit, the damage to agriculture in the Gulf states has topped $3 billion, officials say. “In some areas, it was total disaster,” said Patrick Sullivan, market development director for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. More than half of the losses are in the timber industry, where many of the trees that can be salvaged now have less value. But the damage is widespread, reaching Christmas tree growers and businesses raising poultry. More than $2 billion in damage is reported in Mississippi and $1 billion in Louisiana. Alabama, which was less severely affected, has not yet compiled figures. “The numbers are getting bigger every day,” Louisiana State University AgCenter economist Kirk Guidry said. The damage will weigh heavily on producers. But the impact of the poultry losses on consumers is expected to be small, and it is too early to say the timber losses will affect prices for building products, experts say. The damage is evident around Wiggins, Miss., about 35 miles from the coast, known for turning out poles for the utility industry. Now, much of the damaged timber will likely only be good for less lucrative pulp. “They look just like somebody’s messed-up hair,” timber appraiser John Guthrie said of the downed trees in the area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated all of Mississippi’s 82 counties disaster areas, making them eligible for federal assistance programs. The state is the nation’s fourth-largest poultry producer; agriculture officials said 300 of 6,000 chicken houses were destroyed and more than 2,000 damaged. The hardest-hit cotton crops account for only about 1,500 of the 1.2 million acres in the state, officials said. Louisiana’s damage estimate is expected to keep growing because early estimates did not include damage to fences, equipment, buildings, pasture land and other infrastructure losses, Guidry said. Guidry said 10,000 to 11,000 head of cattle in Louisiana were dead or missing. “The ones that are alive, the problem is getting them feed and water,” he said. The Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association put out a plea for donations and help to repair a huge number of flattened or damaged fences. Many dairies throughout the three-state region were forced to dump milk when power was lost in refrigeration units. Pecan growers in Mobile and Baldwin counties in southwestern Alabama, where 50 percent to 60 percent of the state’s pecan crop is produced, suffered heavy losses, said Monte Nesbitt, a pecan expert at Auburn University. Farmer Art Sessions said Katrina had ruined the entire crop growing on his 1,500 pecan trees. About 300 trees were blown down and replacements will need eight to 10 years before they start making money. “I’ve been through Camille, Frederic and Ivan, and this compares to any of them as far as wind damage,” he said. The Christmas tree growing industry of southeastern Louisiana took a hit, with producers facing losses from knocked-down trees. Up to half of the crop could be lost because of root system damage, Guidry said, while those trees that have been put back up with stakes likely will grow crooked, reducing their retail value. “It is a setback to a lot of farmers,” Sullivan said, “but farmers in Mississippi are very resilient. They’ll be back.” >L»YLVUV\Y^H`OVTL Like so many of you, Blossman Gas was born and raised right here on the MS Gulf Coast. That’s why we stand with you today to bring it back–our beaches, schools, churches and most importantly, our way of life. Blossman Gas crews have arrived from eight southeastern states to restore your service as quickly and safely as possible. Every Blossman Gas location from Waveland to Pascagoula is working around the clock to supply propane, repair tanks and install propane and electric appliances. To all of our customers, employees, neighbors and friends, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army and FEMA–we thank you for your strength and commitment. It stands as strong as the Biloxi lighthouse that leads our way home. If you have questions about your Blossman Gas service and relief efforts for those severely impacted by the storm, please call 1-888-BLOSSMAN or your local branch of Blossman Gas. — From Wire Reports Building Supply & Brickyard “ Fo r A l l Yo u r B u i l d i n g N e e d s ” WE ARE NOW OPEN FOR ALL YOUR BUILDING MATERIAL NEEDS! OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAY 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM H w y. 9 0 - G a u t i e r - 497-9750 -P]L.\SM*VHZ[3VJH[PVUZ )36::4(5ISVZZTHUNHZJVT 4-B THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 REGION New Orleans air putrid, but not overly polluted By CAIN BURDEAU The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — The putrid air rising from New Orleans’ slowly receding floodwaters was found Wednesday not to be overly polluted, encouraging news for a mayor weighing the reopening of the French Quarter and other dry parts of the city. Mayor Ray Nagin had said a clean bill of health for the air would allow the tourist-friendly French Quarter and central business district to reopen as early as Monday. And while the Environmental Protection Agency still found the floodwaters contained dangerous levels of sewage-related bacteria, the air pollutants were determined to be at acceptable levels. Nagin said he expects about 180,000 people to return to the city within a week or two, when power and sewer systems are restored. Some retailers should be operating by then, as well as two hospitals. “Once they come back, we’ll have the critical services for them to at least live a semi-normal life,” he said Wednesday on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” In the future, the mayor said, he wants a plan for the city to be in full control of disaster evacuations, instead of relying on help from the federal government. “I’m not going to plan on the cavalry coming,” he said. “Unless they can give me some incredible comfort that this has been fixed, I am not going to be in this position again.” As the grim cleanup continued, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco took responsibility Wednesday for failures and missteps by the state government in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She pledged to remake New Orleans better than before the storm. “To anyone who even suggests that this great city should not be rebuilt, hear this and hear it well: We will rebuild,” she said, addressing a meeting of state lawmakers in Baton Rouge. About 40 to 50 percent of the city was still flooded, down from 80 percent after Katrina hit, as 53 permanent and temporary pumps worked to siphon off 8 billion gallons a day. On the hard-hit east side, block after block of once-flooded neighborhoods gave way to a slimy, putrid muck, ruined cars, snapped utility poles and collapsed houses. Virtually all homes bore marks indicating they had been searched for victims. None in sight during a pass through neighborhoods had an additional numeral that would indicate bodies. The body count in Louisiana alone climbed to 474 on Wednesday, and it was expected to rise further as state and federal officials went about the tedious task of collecting bodies and then using DNA to identify them. “It’s going to take months, maybe years,” said Dr. Louis Cataldi, the coroner for Baton Rouge Parish. “This is not going away.” Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, head of the federal hurricane response, outlined the procedures for body collection, including readings of ecumenical prayers and ceremonial washing of bodies in accordance with various religious traditions. “This is a very, very sensitive process,” Allen said. “We are mindful of the dignity that needs to be accorded to these remains.” The state attorney general’s office said all of its investigators have been pulled from other tasks to work on the Medicaid Fraud Unit, the team whose work led to Tuesday’s negligent homicide charges against the husband-and-wife owners of a Chalmette nursing home where 34 elderly residents drowned in floodwaters. Kris Wartelle, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Charles Foti, said the office has been besieged with alle- AP The morning sky lightens over downtown New Orleans and the West Bank across the Mississippi River from the central business district. The West Bank has had more of its electrical service restored than the downtown area. Officials are hoping to allow people to return to the downtown area on Monday during daytime hours. gations of neglect that may have led to injuries or deaths at nursing homes and hospitals. But Louisiana District Attorneys Association President Peter Adams said he would be surprised if such incidents were widespread. “What we’ve mainly seen in heroism,” he said. In Washington, Senate Republicans scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments’ response to the hurricane. Separately, a Senate committee opened a hearing on the disaster, with the panel’s Republican chairwoman Two suicides, 55 other deaths reported among Katrina evacuees By STEVE QUINN The Associated Press HOUSTON — At least two of the Katrina refugees scattered around the country have committed suicide, and 55 others have died as well, most of them sick and elderly people whose conditions may have been worsened by their stress, authorities said Wednesday. In Texas — which has at least 250,000 Katrina victims, more than any other state — at least 53 have died in the 21⁄2 weeks since they were evacuated from the New Orleans area. Two deaths were reported in Tennessee. Alma Morrow, a 78-year-old New Orleans refugee, died in Dallas on Monday of kidney failure and a collapsed lung, according to her brother. Nineteen other members of her family had been evacuated to San Antonio. “All she was doing was asking for me,” said one of her sisters, Ophelia Evans, 76. “I think probably she would have made it if she didn’t have to go through this.” Two suicides were reported in the Houston area: A 44-year-old man from Metarie, La., shot himself to death in a Humble hotel Sept. 4, and on Sat- urday, a 25-year-old man from Marrero, La., hanged himself in a Pasadena apartment, authorities said. Most of the post-Katrina dead were elderly or already sick, with heart conditions, cancer or other terminal illnesses, authorities said. Many had been living in hospitals, hospices and nursing homes. Several suffered heart attacks. Experts said the stress and trauma of the storm and its aftermath may have hastened their deaths. “Their underlying medical condition obviously contributed to the death,” said Beverly Begay, chief investigator for the medical examiner’s office in Houston’s Harris County. “Whether the trip contributed, that’s a possibility.” A 14-year-old New Orleans boy staying in northeast Texas went into cardiac arrest and died after complaining of pain after swimming. The boy had a previously undiagnosed tear in his aorta, said Bill Lemmert, Smith County justice of the peace. A 71-year-old man from New Orleans died inside the shelter at the Houston Astrodome, and a 90year-old woman died in the stadium parking lot. The dead in Houston also included a fetus and a 104-year-old woman. ATTENTION LAWYERS saying that changes instituted after Sept. 11 in the government’s emergency-preparedness failed their first major test during Katrina. With billions of dollars to boost disaster preparedness at all levels of government, “we would have expected a sharp, crisp response to this terrible tragedy,” said Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine. “Instead, we witnessed what appeared to be a sluggish initial response.” President Bush prepared to travel to the state Thursday to deliver a primetime televised speech to the nation. Louisiana Transportation officials estimated Wednesday that about 1.2 million people were evacuated from the metro New Orleans area in the two days leading up to Katrina’s Aug. 29 landfall, many of those people still scattered in other states. A day after Nagin said the city is essentially broke, New Orleans’ already beleagured school system announced it would also need federal assistance to keep paying its teachers. The last paychecks were being made available at Western Union locations to 7,000 employees spread across the nation, but after that $13 million is doled out, the system will be out of money. “The cash situation is dire,” said William Roberti, with Alvarez & Marsal, a restructuring firm that has been working with New Orleans’ public schools. THE SALVATION ARMY FACILITIES HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY HURRICANE KATRINA We are looking for a 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse for distribution of food, clothing, cleaning supplies and Christmas assistance in Jackson County. We are also looking for paper grocery bags and possible transportation for our workers. A 15 passenger van or 1-ton truck would suffice. The Mississippi Bar has received hundreds of requests for assistance and offers of assistance. Please be patient as we provide disaster legal assistance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and assist the many lawyers affected by Katrina. Monetary donations still being accepted. With information, resources, offers of assistance, etc. changing by the hour it is difficult for the Bar to keep lawyers updated as needed. Members are encouraged to use the Bar's website www.msbar.org as “the place” to access valuable resources, to request assistance, etc. A message board is being added to the site to allow lawyers needing assistance to post requests for assistance and for those wanting to provide assistance to post what they have to offer. 1-800-SAL-ARMY Lawyers with electricity and/or Internet access, please visit The Mississippi Bar’s website at www.msbar.org to access disaster assistance resources for lawyers and law offices. If you only have telephone access please call 601-948-3269. Please call if you have anything you would like to donate. Send Checks to: 3217 Nathan NathanHale Hill Ave. Pascagoula, MS Pascagoula, MS 39567 39567 S PORTS THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS Contact: JR. Wittner, (251) 219-5553 E-mail address: sports@mspressonline.com C Thursday, september 15, 2005 TIME OUT Sad time, but we’ll be back There’s really no way to express how I feel about Hurricane Katrina and what it did to our community. Like many others in Jackson County and along the Coast, I lost my beloved home. That awful storm took us down to a slab, and took with it the memories of a lifetime. Wedding pictures, baby pictures, family archives, personal library, and much, much more, all gone with the wind and water. Actually, part of what I Richard just said Lucas isn’t totally accurate. We all do still have the memories. They are in our mind and our hearts, and we need to keep them there and cherish them. Mary Jon and I have worked hard to find what we can in the rubble (be that on our lot or three blocks away). We have certain small victories: Cooper’s Pascagoula Junior High School basketball team picture from that 10-3 squad and Wesley’s All-District football trophy from his senior year. Every day we search, panning for gold as it were. Remember, we are just one family of thousands. So many of our friends, family and fellow citizens are experiencing the same heartache and hard work that we are. Through all the anger, frustration and uncertainty, we must look forward. I don’t know much right now, but I do know this: We’ll be back. The people of the Mississippi Coast in general — Jackson County and Pascagoula in particular — are strong, tough, resilient people. To quote some literary wag (Shakespeare, I think; somebody help me), “Our heads may be bloody, but they are unbowed.” It will take a while, but this community will come back bigger and better than ever. So now, as I walk through my yard during another work session, and I see my mangled basketball goal lying symbolically in the ruins, I will think, “Hey, a brand new goal is going back up where you were, big guy.” Life must go on. We are strong, and we shall return. Comment concerning Richard Lucas’ column can be sent to sports@mspressonline.com. Sea Wolves petition for cancelled season ■ Team ponders move to Mobile, but decides to wait and play next season From Wire Reports BILOXI — Due to Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi Sea Wolves operating owner Mike Rogers announced Wednesday that the team would not be able to operate in 2005-06 but that it would return to action at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in 2006-07. The Sea Wolves have submitted a request to the East Coach Hockey League Board of Governors for a voluntary suspension for 2005-06, a request that will be presented for approval at the ECHL Board of Governors Preseason Meeting on September 22. The inside of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum was extensively damaged by flooding, including the team offices, locker rooms, ice-making equipment and two Zambonis. The Sea Wolves had discussed moving the team to Mobile this season. “We’re just going to have a longer offseason than usual,” Rogers said. “We are very appreciative of the City of Mobile, Mayor Mike Dow and SMG for their willingness to work with us. The organization also looked into alternative housing, but the short timeframe before the start of the season made it impossible to pull together. We will maintain a presence on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and look forward to celebrating our ‘Decade In The Den’ beginning in October 2006. “The Sea Wolves organization wants to acknowledge Commissioner Brian McKenna and the league office for their assistance and patience while we explored all options,” Rogers added. “And we want to thank the ECHL member teams, the ECHL fans and the entire hockey community for the tremendous outpouring of support we received in such a trying time.” Rogers said that payments already made for 2005-06 season tickets can be used toward the 2006-07 season or will be refunded if requested. The Sea Wolves plan to announce a new front office location and contact information in the near future and for the latest ticket and team information, fans can visit the team’s web site at www.msseawolves.com. FOOTBALL IS BACK William Colgin/The Mississippi Press Local football fans will have a chance to cheer again this Friday when seven local teams continue their season. Pascagoula and St. Martin will not play this week, but both teams’ coaches said they could have played if needed. Coast teams finally hit the field after hurricane By JR. WITTNER The Mississippi Press After surviving the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, Jackson, George and Greene County football teams get back in action Friday night with a full slate of games. Teams on the Coast missed action last week while the rest of the state continued with their seasons. Despite the two week layoff, most teams got back on the field last week for practice, even though school has not started back. Only two teams in The Mississippi Press coverage area will play close to home as Gautier travels to George County. “It’s a little different coming back after something like this, but the kids have been in good spirits,” George County head coach Al Jones said. “It’s going to be like playing the first game again.” The field at George County suffered minor damage to the lights, but the problem was fixed Wednesday afternoon. “The kids are just ready to get back to playing football,” Gautier head coach Don Nelson said. “A lot of our kids are helping out the Red Cross, FEMA and MEMA here at the school and then have been coming to practice.” Pascagoula and St. Martin will not play this week. The Panthers, who were originally scheduled for an off week on Friday, will continue their season next Saturday at 2 p.m. on the road at Pearl River Central. “We could’ve played this week if we needed to,” PHS head coach Dan Bland said. “Our locker room got a lot of water, but I think we would’ve been able to play this week.” St. Martin head coach David Gregory said his team would have been able to play this week, but they were unable to find an opponent. Gautier travels to Lucedale to take on the Rebels in a game which was originally scheduled for Sept. 9. Most of the games being played this week by Coast teams were scheduled for the week of Sept. 9, except for the game involving No. 4 Ocean Springs. The Greyhounds were set to host Carencro (La.), but the two teams agreed on a switch. “We were originally set to play them at home, but they asked us to move the game,” Ocean Springs athletic director Don Hinton said of the school near Lafayette. Vancleave was set to host Bay High last week, and are filling the void in their schedule with a trip to 1A No. 2 Mount Olive. “Mount Olive is a 1A powerhouse and taking a trip there will be a good challenge for us,” Vancleave head coach Jim Bloomfield said. “After a tough game against Long Beach, I wanted to see how the guys responded. We couldn’t do that last week, so hopefully this game will give us a chance to see that.” No. 4 Greene County takes a trip to West Lauderdale. The Wildcats have had a lot of recent history with West Lauderdale, who they have faced four times in the last three seasons. No. 6 Moss Point gets another See FOOTBALL, Page 2-B Braves still have no answers for hot Phillies By the Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Reserve infielder Ramon Martinez hit his first career grand slam, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 12-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednes- FLORIDA LOTTERY Cash 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0-8-6 Play 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2-4-0 Fantasy 5 . . . . . .1-9-13-23-29 Lotto . . . . . . . .3-6-11-15-39-51 LOUISIANA LOTTERY Pick 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N/A Pick 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N/A Cash Quest . . . . . . . . . . . .N/A Lotto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N/A Powerball (xx) . . . . . . . . . .N/A day night. The Phillies have won three straight against division-leading Atlanta and five of six overall. Atlanta’s Andruw Jones hit 50th homer, becoming the first major leaguer to reach that mark since Alex Rodriguez (57) and Jim Thome (52) in 2002. Padres 5, Giants 4, 10 innings SAN FRANCISCO — Brian Giles tiebreaking single with two outs in the top of the 10th inning gave San Diego a 5-4 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday and snapped the Padres’ four-game losing streak. Pirates 5, Cardinals 3 ST. LOUIS — Brad Eldred hit two solo shots for his first multihomer game, keeping St. Louis’ magic number for clinching the NL Central at two. Nationals 6, Mets 3 NEW YORK — Preston Wilson and Vinny Castilla hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning to lead Washington. Astros 10, Marlins 2 HOUSTON — Roger Clemens made his scheduled start Wednesday night and allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings in a 10-2 win over the Florida Marlins, pitching in honor of his mother after she died early that morning. AL Capsules Mariners 10, Angels 9 SEATTLE — Last-place Seattle swept the AL Westleading Los Angeles Angels for the second time this season. Yankees 6, Devil Rays 5 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Derek Jeter hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the seventh inning, leading the New York Yankees past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-5. Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3 TORONTO — David Ortiz hit his career-high 42nd homer, a tiebreaking two-run drive in the eighth inning that led the Boston Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3. AP San Francisco’s Randy Winn rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning Wednesday. 2-C THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 BY THE NUMBERS FOOTBALL National Football League Glance All Times CST AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA Buffalo 1 0 0 1.000 22 7 Miami 1 0 0 1.000 34 10 New England 1 0 0 1.000 30 20 N.Y. Jets 0 1 0 .000 7 27 South W L T Pct PF PA Indianapolis 1 0 0 1.000 24 7 Jacksonville 1 0 0 1.000 26 14 Houston 0 1 0 .000 7 22 Tennessee 0 1 0 .000 7 34 North W L T Pct PF PA Cincinnati 1 0 0 1.000 27 13 Pittsburgh 1 0 0 1.000 34 7 Baltimore 0 1 0 .000 7 24 Cleveland 0 1 0 .000 13 27 West W L T Pct PF PA Kansas City 1 0 0 1.000 27 7 Denver 0 1 0 .000 10 34 Oakland 0 1 0 .000 20 30 San Diego 0 1 0 .000 24 28 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 1 0 0 1.000 42 19 Washington 1 0 0 1.000 9 7 Dallas 1 0 0 1.000 28 24 Philadelphia 0 1 0 .000 10 14 South W L T Pct PF PA New Orleans 1 0 0 1.000 23 20 Atlanta 1 0 0 1.000 14 10 Tampa Bay 1 0 0 1.000 24 13 Carolina 0 1 0 .000 20 23 North W L T Pct PF PA Detroit 1 0 0 1.000 17 3 Chicago 0 1 0 .000 7 9 Green Bay 0 1 0 .000 3 17 Minnesota 0 1 0 .000 13 24 West W L T Pct PF PA San Francisco 1 0 0 1.000 28 25 Arizona 0 1 0 .000 19 42 Seattle 0 1 0 .000 14 26 St. Louis 0 1 0 .000 25 28 ———— Thursday’s Game New England 30, Oakland 20 Sunday’s Games Miami 34, Denver 10 Washington 9, Chicago 7 Buffalo 22, Houston 7 Pittsburgh 34, Tennessee 7 Kansas City 27, N.Y. Jets 7 Jacksonville 26, Seattle 14 New Orleans 23, Carolina 20 Cincinnati 27, Cleveland 13 Tampa Bay 24, Minnesota 13 Detroit 17, Green Bay 3 Dallas 28, San Diego 24 N.Y. Giants 42, Arizona 19 San Francisco 28, St. Louis 25 Indianapolis 24, Baltimore 7 Monday’s Game Atlanta 14, Philadelphia 10 Sunday, Sept. 18 Detroit at Chicago, noon Baltimore at Tennessee, noon Pittsburgh at Houston, noon Buffalo at Tampa Bay, noon. Jacksonville at Indianapolis, noon Minnesota at Cincinnati, noon New England at Carolina, noon San Francisco at Philadelphia, noon Atlanta at Seattle, 3:05 p.m. St. Louis at Arizona, 3:05 p.m. Miami at N.Y. Jets, 3:15 p.m. Cleveland at Green Bay, 3:15 p.m. San Diego at Denver, 3:15 p.m. Kansas City at Oakland, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19 N.Y. Giants vs. New Orleans at East Rutherford, N.J., 6:30 p.m. Washington at Dallas, 8 p.m. BASEBALL National League Glance East Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 83 63 .568 — Florida 78 68 .534 5 Philadelphia 78 68 .534 5 Washington 75 71 .514 8 New York 71 74 .490 111⁄2 Central Division W L Pct GB St. Louis 93 54 .633 — Houston 77 68 .531 15 Milwaukee 72 72 .500 191⁄2 Chicago 72 73 .497 20 Cincinnati 67 77 .465 241⁄2 Pittsburgh 58 87 .400 34 West Division W L Pct GB San Diego 72 73 .497 — Los Angeles 66 78 .458 51⁄2 San Francisco 66 79 .455 6 Arizona 65 80 .448 7 Colorado 58 86 .403 131⁄2 ——— Tuesday’s Games Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 4 Washington 4, N.Y. Mets 2 Florida 4, Houston 2 Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati 3, 10 innings St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 4 Milwaukee 3, Arizona 1 Colorado 6, L.A. Dodgers 4 San Francisco 5, San Diego 4 Wednesday’s Games Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 3 San Diego 5, San Francisco 4, 10 innings Philadelphia 12, Atlanta 4 Washington 6, N.Y. Mets 3 Houston 10, Florida 2 Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, (n) Milwaukee at Arizona, (n) Colorado at L.A. Dodgers, (n) Today’s Games Washington (L.Hernandez 15-7) at N.Y. Mets (Seo 7-2), 12:05 p.m. Milwaukee (Ohka 10-8) at Arizona (Estes 7- 7), 5:10 p.m. Atlanta (Sosa 11-3) at Philadelphia (Myers 12-7), 6:05 p.m. Florida (Vargas 5-3) at Houston (Pettitte 15-9), 7:05 p.m. St. Louis (Suppan 14-10) at Chicago Cubs (Prior 11-5), 7:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Lowe 10-13) at San Francisco (Hennessey 4-7), 9:15 p.m. Friday’s Games St. Louis at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, (DH), 4:05 p.m. Atlanta at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m. Philadelphia at Florida, 6:35 p.m. Milwaukee at Houston, 7:05 p.m. Colorado at Arizona, 8:40 p.m. Washington at San Diego, 9:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco, 9:15 p.m. Wild Card W L Pct GB Florida 78 67 .538 — 1 Philadelphia 77 68 .531 ⁄2 Houston 76 68 .528 1 Washington 74 71 .510 31⁄2 Tuesday’s Games Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 4 Washington 4, N.Y. Mets 2 Florida 4, Houston 2 NL Boxes PADRES 5, GIANTS 4, 10 innings SAN DIEGO SAN FRAN abr h bi abr h bi DRbrts cf 3 1 0 0 Winn cf 511 1 Loretta 2b 4 1 0 0 Vizquel ss 5 0 1 0 RaHrdz c 6 1 4 0 Niekro 1b 3 0 1 0 BGiles rf 4 2 3 2 JRmrz pr 0 1 0 0 Randa 3b 5 0 0 0 Ellison rf 1 0 0 0 Fick 1b 400 0 Drham 2b 3 1 0 0 Jhnson lf 2 0 0 0 Alfonzo 3b 3 0 1 0 MaSwy ph 1 0 0 1 Bonds ph 1 0 0 0 Jkson lf 000 0 Chavez 3b 1 0 0 0 Brrghs ph 1 0 1 2 Feliz lf 411 2 Seanez p 0 0 0 0 Mtheny c 4 0 2 1 Hffman p 0 0 0 0 Linden rf 3 0 0 0 Alxndr ss 2 0 0 0 Cain p 200 0 McAlty ph 1 0 0 0 Tschnr p 0 0 0 0 KGreen ss 1 0 0 0 Accrdo p 0 0 0 0 WWlms p 3 0 0 0 Ortmer ph 1 0 0 0 Lnbrnk p 0 0 0 0 TyWlkr p 0 0 0 0 Klesko ph 0 0 0 0 Eyre p 000 0 Otsuka p 0 0 0 0 Benitez p 0 0 0 0 Nady lf 100 0 Clark ph 0 0 0 0 Hwkins p 0 0 0 0 Totals 38 5 8 5 Totals 36 4 7 4 San Diego 001 001 002 1 — 5 San Fran. 001 000 030 0 — 4 E—Cain (1). DP—San Diego 1. LOB—San Diego 15, San Francisco 7. 2B—RaHernandez (18), Burroughs (6), Feliz (27). HR— Winn (8). SB—Jackson (14). IP H R ER BB SO San Diego WWilliams 51⁄3 5 1 1 2 3 Linebrink 12⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Otsuka 1 2 3 3 2 1 Seanez W,7-1 1 0 0 0 1 1 Hoffman S,38 1 0 0 0 0 1 San Francisco Cain 6 3 2 2 6 2 2 Taschner ⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 1 Accardo ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 TyWalker ⁄3 0 0 0 2 1 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Eyre Benitez 1 2 2 2 2 1 Hawkins L,2-7 1 2 1 1 1 0 Umpires—Home, Mark Wegner; First, Gary Darling; Second, Larry Poncino; Third, Paul Nauert. T—3:26. A—38,477 (41,584). ——— ASTROS 10, MARLINS 2 FLORIDA HOUSTON abr h bi abr h bi LCstillo 2b 3 1 1 0 Biggio 2b 4 1 1 1 Conine lf 4 0 2 0 Brntlett 2b 0 0 0 0 MiCbra 3b 4 0 0 1 OPlmro lf 5 0 0 0 CDlgdo 1b 3 1 0 0 Lamb 3b 5 2 3 1 JEcrcn rf 2 0 0 0 Brkmn 1b 3 3 2 0 Easley ss 4 0 1 0 Jmrsn cf 0 0 0 0 Pierre cf 3 0 1 0 Lane rf 432 2 Mssngr p 0 0 0 0 Burke cf 1 0 0 0 Resop p 0 0 0 0 Gipson cf 2 0 2 1 Qantrill p 0 0 0 0 Bgwell ph 0 0 0 0 Lowell ph 1 0 0 0 Burns p 000 0 L Duca c 3 0 1 0 AEvrtt ss 4 1 2 3 Wlnhm c 1 0 0 0 Asmus c 2 0 0 1 Burnett p 2 0 0 0 RChavz c 1 0 0 0 Villone p 0 0 0 0 Clmens p 1 0 0 1 Hrmida rf 1 0 0 0 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 JVzcno ph 1 0 0 0 Wheelr p 0 0 0 0 Quitr 1b 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 2 6 1 Totals 34101210 Florida 100 000 001 — 2 Houston 030 000 34x — 10 E—Bruntlett (1). DP—Florida 1, Houston 3. LOB—Florida 6, Houston 11. 2B—Gipson (1), AEverett (27). 3B—Lamb (5). S—AEverett. IP H R ER BB SO Florida Burnett L,12-11 6 6 3 3 5 5 1 Villone ⁄3 1 2 2 1 0 2 Messenger ⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 1 Resop ⁄3 3 4 4 3 0 2 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Quantrill Houston 1 Clemens W,12-7 6 ⁄3 5 1 1 2 4 2 Qualls ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Wheeler 1 1 0 0 0 0 Burns 1 0 1 0 1 0 HBP—by Burns (JEncarnacion). WP— Burns. Umpires—Home, Ed Hickox; First, Bill Hohn; Second, Bruce Dreckman; Third, Doug Eddings. T—2:59. A—30,911 (40,950). ——— PHILLIES 12, BRAVES 4 ATLANTA PHILA abr h bi abr h bi Furcal ss 4 0 1 0 Rollins ss 5 2 3 1 Btemit ss 1 0 0 0 Chavez lf 0 0 0 0 MGiles 2b 4 0 1 1 Mchels cf 5 1 2 3 CJones 3b 3 0 0 0 BAbreu rf 4 1 1 1 Orr 3b 000 0 Vctrno cf 0 0 0 0 AJones cf 4 2 2 1 Burrell lf 1 2 1 0 Kolb p 000 0 Geary p 0 0 0 0 LaRche 1b4 1 1 0 ALopez p 0 0 0 0 Frncur rf 4 0 1 0 Utley 2b 5 1 1 0 Jhnson lf 2 0 1 2 Kata 2b 000 0 Lerew p 0 0 0 0 DaBell 3b 5 1 3 1 AMrte ph 1 0 0 0 Lbrthal c 3 2 2 2 Mcbrde p 0 0 0 0 Pratt c 100 0 Brower p 0 0 0 0 REMtiz 1b 4 2 2 4 Hlndsw lf 1 0 0 0 McCnn c 2 0 0 0 Pena c 201 0 HRmrz p 1 0 1 0 Lngrhn lf 3 1 2 0 Totals 36 4 11 4 Lidle p Tucker ph Fultz p ToPerz ss 200 100 000 200 0 0 0 0 Totals 38121512 Atlanta 000 210 010— 4 Philadelphia304 031 10x— 12 E—MGiles (11). DP—Philadelphia 1. LOB—Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 9. 2B— LaRoche (25), Langerhans (18), Rollins 2 (30), Utley (32), DaBell (29). 3B—Johnson (3). HR—AJones (50), Michaels (4), REMartinez (1). SB—Rollins (34). SF— MGiles, Lieberthal. IP H R ER BB SO Atlanta HRamirez L,11-9 3 8 7 6 1 2 Lerew 2 4 3 3 2 1 Mcbride 1 1 1 1 1 1 Brower 1 1 1 1 2 1 Kolb 1 1 0 0 0 1 Philadelphia Lidle W,11-10 5 7 3 3 1 3 Fultz 2 1 0 0 0 1 Geary 1 2 1 1 0 0 ALopez 1 1 0 0 0 1 Umpires—Home, Jeff Kellogg; First, Paul Schrieber; Second, Mike Reilly; Third, Andy Fletcher. T—2:46. A—23,125 (43,826). American League Glance East Division W L Pct GB Boston 85 60 .586 — New York 82 62 .569 21⁄2 Toronto 72 73 .497 13 Baltimore 69 76 .476 16 Tampa Bay 60 86 .411 251⁄2 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 88 56 .611 — Cleveland 84 62 .575 5 Minnesota 75 70 .517 131⁄2 Detroit 66 78 .458 22 Kansas City 47 96 .329 401⁄2 West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 81 64 .559 — Oakland 80 65 .552 1 1 Texas 71 75 .486 10 ⁄2 Seattle 64 81 .441 17 ——— Tuesday’s Games Minnesota 9, Detroit 3 Cleveland 5, Oakland 2 Toronto 9, Boston 3 N.Y. Yankees 17, Tampa Bay 3 Baltimore 4, Texas 3 Chicago White Sox 6, Kansas City 4 Seattle 2, L.A. Angels 1 Wednesday’s Games Detroit 4, Minnesota 2 Texas 7, Baltimore 6, 10 innings Seattle 10, L.A. Angels 9 Cleveland 6, Oakland 4 Boston 5, Toronto 3 N.Y. Yankees 6, Tampa Bay 5 Kansas City 10, Chicago White Sox 9 Today’s Games Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 15-7) at Kansas City (Greinke 4-16), 1:10 p.m. Oakland (Blanton 9-11) at Boston (Schilling 6-7), 6:05 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Small 7-0) at Tampa Bay (McClung 6-9), 6:15 p.m. Seattle (Harris 2-3) at Texas (Loe 8-5), 7:05 p.m. Detroit (Maroth 12-13) at L.A. Angels (Colon 19-6), 9:05 p.m. Friday’s Games Oakland at Boston, 6:05 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland, 6:05 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Toronto, 6:07 p.m. Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 6:35 p.m. Seattle at Texas, 7:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m. Detroit at L.A. Angels, 9:05 p.m. Wild Card W L Pct GB Cleveland 84 62 .575 — New York 82 62 .569 1 Oakland 80 64 .556 3 Wednesday’s Games Cleveland 6, Oakland 4 N.Y. Yankees 6, Tampa Bay 5 AL Boxes TIGERS 4, TWINS 2 MINNESOTA abr h bi Tyner lf 301 0 LFord lf 200 0 JCastro 3b4 0 0 0 Mauer c 2 1 1 0 JJones cf 4 0 1 0 Cddyer rf 4 0 1 1 Mrneau 1b 4 1 1 0 MRyan dh 2 0 0 0 LeCroy dh 1 0 0 0 Punto pr 0 0 0 0 Rivas 2b 1 0 1 0 LRdrgz 2b 2 0 2 1 Bartlett ss 4 0 0 0 Totals 33 2 8 2 DETROIT Planco 2b Inge 3b Shltn 1b MOrdz rf Logan cf Monroe lf CPena dh Infante ss VWilsn c Grndsn cf abr h bi 412 0 300 0 401 0 300 0 000 0 401 2 401 0 301 0 210 0 323 2 Totals 30 4 9 4 SPORTS DIGEST TODAY’S LISTINGS College Football 6:30 p.m. — Utah at TCU (ESPN) Golf 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: The 84 Lumber Classic (ESPN) Major League Baseball Noon — Nationals at Mets (ESPN) 1 p.m. — White Sox at Royals (WGN) 6 p.m. — Braves at Phillies (TBS) 7 p.m. — Cardinals at Cubs (WGN) WNBA Playoffs 7 p.m. — Finals Game 2 (ESPN2) FRIDAY’S LISTINGS College Football 7 p.m. — Houston at UTEP (ESPN2) Golf 3 p.m. — PGA Tour: The 84 Lumber Classic (ESPN) Major League Baseball 6 p.m. — Teams TBA (ESPN) 6 p.m. — Braves at Mets (TBS) Grffnno 2b 4 2 3 2 Mueller 3b 4 1 1 0 DOrtiz dh 4 1 1 3 MRmrz lf 4 0 0 0 Nixon rf 3 0 1 0 Varitek c 3 0 0 0 Olerud 1b 4 0 1 0 Cora ss 3 0 0 0 Kapler cf 2 0 0 0 Mchado cf 1 1 0 0 Totals 32 57 5 Jhnson lf 4 0 0 Rios rf 400 VWells cf 4 0 0 Koskie 3b 3 2 3 Hlnbrn 1b 4 1 2 AHill ss 301 Zaun c 400 Mnchno 2b 3 0 1 Adams ph 1 0 0 Quiroz dh 2 0 0 Grifn dh 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 Boston 100 020 020 — 5 Toronto 020 001 000 — 3 E—Koskie (6). DP—Boston 2, Toronto 3. LOB—Boston 2, Toronto 5. 2B—Graffanino (13), Koskie (16), AHill (21), Menechino (7). HR—Graffanino (6), DOrtiz (42). SB—Koskie (3). IP H R ER BB SO Boston DWells W,13-7 7 7 3 3 2 1 Bradford 1 0 0 0 0 0 Timlin S,8 1 0 0 0 0 1 Toronto Towers L,11-11 8 7 5 3 1 5 Schoeneweis 1 0 0 0 0 0 HBP—by Schoeneweis (Nixon), by Bradford (Koskie). Umpires—Home, Wally Bell; First, John Hirschbeck; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third, Rob Drake. T—2:19. A—25,865 (50,598). ——— YANKEES 6, DEVIL RAYS 5 NEW YORK TAMPA BAY abr h bi abr h bi Jeter ss 5 1 2 2 Lugo ss 4 1 0 0 ARod 3b 6 0 1 1 Crwfrd lf 4 1 2 2 JaGbi 1b 5 0 0 0 Cantu 2b 3 1 1 1 Phillips 1b 0 0 0 0 NGreen 2b 0 0 0 0 Shffield dh 4 0 2 0 Huff rf 411 0 Matsui lf 5 2 2 1 Gomes dh 4 0 1 1 Posada c 3 0 0 0 TLee 1b 4 0 0 0 BWllms cf 4 2 2 0 THall c 401 1 Sierra rf 2 0 0 0 ASGzlz 3b 4 1 1 0 Crosby rf 1 0 1 0 Gthrght cf 3 0 2 0 Cano 2b 5 1 1 2 EduPrz ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 40 6116 Totals 35 5 9 5 New York 100 120 200— 6 Tampa Bay 000 220 100— 5 E—Lugo 2 (21). LOB—New York 14, Tampa Bay 5. 2B—Matsui 2 (41), Crawford (30), ASGonzalez (18). 3B—Crawford (15). SB— NGreen (3), Gathright (15). CS—Lugo (9). IP H R ER BB SO New York 1 Wang W,7-4 6 ⁄3 9 5 5 0 3 1 Embree ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Sturtze 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Gordon 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 MRivera S,38 1 0 0 0 1 2 Tampa Bay Hendrickson 5 8 4 3 3 4 Orvella L,3-3 11⁄3 1 2 2 2 1 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 TreMiller 1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 Harper Borowski 12⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 1 DBaez ⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 Sturtze pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP—by Sturtze (Cantu). Umpires—Home, Mike Everitt; First, Tim Timmons; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Chuck Meriwether. T—3:31. A—14,396 (41,315). NASCAR Minnesota 000 010 010 — 2 Detroit 002 000 02x — 4 E—Morneau (7). DP—Minnesota 2, Detroit 1. LOB—Minnesota 8, Detroit 5. 2B— Morneau (19), Granderson (4). HR—Granderson (5). S—LRodriguez, Inge. IP H R ER BB SO Minnesota FLiriano 5 2 2 2 1 6 Mays 2 4 0 0 0 0 JRincon L,6-5 1 3 2 2 1 2 Detroit Douglass 6 4 1 1 1 3 JWalker 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 Spurling ⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Darensbourg 0 2 1 1 0 0 Dingman W,2-2 11⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 Darensbourg pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. HBP—by Douglass (Mauer). Umpires—Home, Ted Barrett; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Rick Reed; Third, Chris Guccione. T—2:26. A—19,438 (40,120). ——— RED SOX 5, BLUE JAYS 3 BOSTON TORONTO abr h bi abr h bi Good field, poor date at 84 Lumber TV SPORTWATCH Nextel Cup Schedule-Winners (x-non-points race) Feb. 12 — x-Budweiser Shootout (Jimmie Johnson) Feb. 20 — Daytona 500 (Jeff Gordon) Feb. 27 — Auto Club 500 (Greg Biffle) March 13 — UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 (Jimmie Johnson) March 20 — Golden Corral 500 (Carl Edwards) April 3 — Food City 500 (Kevin Harvick) April 10 — Advance Auto Parts 500 (Jeff Gordon) April 17 — Samsung/RadioShack 500 (Greg Biffle) April 23 — Subway Fresh 500 (Kurt Busch) May 1 — Aaron’s 499 (Jeff Gordon) May 7 — Dodge Charger 500 (Greg Biffle) May 14 — Chevy American Revolution 400 (Kasey Kahne) May 21 — x-All-Star Challenege (Mark Martin) May 29 — Coca-Cola 600 (Jimmie Johnson) June 5 — MBNA America 400 (Greg Biffle) June 12 — Pocono 500 (Carl Edwards) From Wire Reports Phil Mickelson. Vijay Singh. David Toms. Jim Furyk. With four of the top five money winners on the PGA Tour, the 84 Lumber Classic has a better field than most of the post-major tournaments. For tournament founder and lumberyard billionaire Joe Hardy, it’s not good enough. Hardy is willing to spend big to turn what now is a well-attended but relatively unimportant event that begins Thursday into an upper-tier tournament that doesn’t compete with football season, the pennant races, the back-to-school rush or the European pro circuit. So, after spending nearly $75 million in the last year building a five-star, on-course players lodge and further improving the Mystic Rock course at his Nemacolin Woodlands resort southeast of Pittsburgh, Hardy is lobbying hard for a better tour date starting next year. With Hardy showing he can attract many of the recognizable names via intense lobbying — Tiger Woods was set to play last year, but pulled out after the Ryder Cup — he wants better dates to showcase his fast-maturing tournament. While attendance should be respectable, with about 70,00 tickets sold, the 84 Lumber Classic is going against the Steelers’ game Sunday in Houston and Pitt’s televised game Saturday at Nebraska. That kind of competition is bound to limit the crowds, especially since most fans are expected to drive at least an hour each way to get there. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Tulane to wear patch to commemorate Katrina losses NEW ORLEANS — Tulane athletes will wear a special patch this year to commemorate the upheaval of Hurricane Katrina. The patch is based on a slogan used by university president Dr. Scott Cowen who wants them to “carry the torch, be the face and represent the name” of Tulane for the upcoming seasons while its students, faculty and staff remain displaced by the hurricane. Tulane teams across all sports will wear a commemorative patch illustrating those three points throughout the 2005-06 academic year. The Green Wave football team will be the first to wear the patch when it takes on Mississippi State this weekend in Shreveport, La. in the first game of 2005. The patch, is in the shape of Tulane University’s primary logo, the “Shield.” A thick green outline carries the words “The Torch, The Face, The Name.” Inside the green outline is a torch above an image of the skyline of New Orleans, dominated by the Louisiana Superdome. The words “Tulane University, 2005” are above that image. Sugar Bowl could play at LSU if hotels return NEW ORLEANS — Work crews were busy in several on New Orleans’ major hotels on Wednesday, repairing damage from Hurricane Katrina. That’s good news for the Sugar Bowl. If enough hotels in the New Orleans area are up and running by December, this year’s Sugar Bowl will be played at LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. If they aren’t, Atlanta’s Georgia Dome would be a likely alternative, Sugar Bowl executive director Paul Hoolahan is expected to tell the commissioners of the 11 Division I-A conferences at a BCS meeting Tuesday in Chicago. WNBA FINALS Monarchs 69, Connecticut 65 UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Yolanda Griffith made the most of her first appearance in the WNBA Finals, scoring 25 points Wednesday night as the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Connecticut Sun 69-65 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The Monarchs lost both regular-season meetings but used a strong inside game, anchored by Griffith, to hand Connecticut a rare home loss. The Sun, making their second straight appearance in the finals, had lost only three games all year at the Mohegan Sun arena coming in. Game 2 is Thursday night in Connecticut. June 19 — Michigan 400 (Greg Biffle) June 26 — Dodge/Save Mart 350 (Tony Stewart) July 2 — Pepsi 400 (Tony Stewart) July 10 — USG Sheetrock 400 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) July 17 — New England 300 (Tony Stewart) July 24 — Pennsylvania 500 (Kurt Busch) Aug. 7 — Allstate 400 (Tony Stewart) Aug. 14 — Sirius at The Glen (Tony Stewart) Aug. 21 — GFS Marketplace 400 (Jeremy Mayfield) Aug. 27 — Sharpie 500 (Matt Kenseth) Sept. 4 — SONY HD 500 (Kyle Busch) Sept. 10 — Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (Kurt Busch) Sept. 18 — Sylvania 300, Loudon, N.H. Sept. 25 — MBNA 400, Dover, Del. Oct. 2 — UAW-Ford 500, Talladega, Ala. Oct. 9 — Banquet 400, Kansas City, Kan. Oct. 15 — UAW-GM Quality 500, Concord, N.C. Oct. 23 — Subway 500, Martinsville, Va. Oct. 30 — Bass Pro Shops MBNA 400, Hampton, Ga. Nov. 6 — Dickies 500, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 13 — Checker Auto Parts 500, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 20 — Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. TRANSACTIONS BASEBALL National League HOUSTON ASTROS—Recalled OF Charlton Jimerson from Round Rock of the PCL. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS—Purchased the contract of OF Doug Clark from Fresno of the PCL. Designated INF Brian Dallimore for assignment. FOOTBALL National Football League CAROLINA PANTHERS—Placed DT Kris Jenkins on injured reserve. Signed DT Atiyyah Ellison from the practice squad. Signed DE Khaleed Vaughn to the practice squad. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS—Placed CB Donald Strickland on injured reserve. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS—Signed S Raymond Ventrone to the practice squad. Released LB Andre Torrey from the practice squad. OAKLAND RAIDERS—Released RB Eric Bickerstaff from the practice squad. Signed DB Eugene Hiram to the practice squad. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS—Released CB Gabe Franklin from the practice squad and DE Adell Duckett. Signed TE Landon Trusty to the practice squad. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS—Signed CB Bruce Thornton to the practice squad. Waived CB Michael Harden from the practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS—Signed D Brett Festerling and returned him and G J.P. Levasseur to their junior teams. Assigned RW George Davis, C Ryan Shannon and D Michael Knight to Portland of the AHL. Released D Jonathan Daversa, C Derek Edwardson, LW Simon Ferguson, C Jonathan Lehun, RW Scott May and D Eric Lundberg. BOSTON BRUINS—Agreed to terms with G Tim Thomas on a one-year contract. CAROLINA HURRICANES—Announced the retirement of C Ron Francis. EDMONTON OILERS—Re-signed F Ryan Smyth to a two-year contract. ECHL GREENVILLE GRRROWL—Agreed to terms with F Matt Zultek. LONG BEACH ICE DOGS—Agreed to terms with F Sean McAslan on a one-year contract. MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES—Requested a voluntary suspension for the 2005-06 season, planning to return to play in 2006-07. COLLEGE AUBURN—Named Joanna Booker assistant equestrian coach. IUPUI—Announced freshman F Ryan Pride left the men’s basketball team, and freshman F Jeremy Holland transferred from Bowling Green. NORTHWESTERN—Named Adam Widman associate director of media services. RHODE ISLAND—Named Jay Campbell assistant gymnastics coach, Lindsay Sawyer assistant softball coach, Stephen Santonastaso assistant volleyball coach. RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE—Named Bob Walsh men’s basketball coach. TROY—Named William Small men’s assistant basketball coach. YALE—Named Matt Kingsley men’s volunteer assistant basketball coach. Use of Tiger Stadium costly for Saints BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Playing four times in Tiger Stadium will cost the New Orleans Saints about $1.2 million, LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said Wednesday. That works out to about $300,000 per game. It will be used to cover game expenses and wear and tear on the field. Bertman said LSU will realize little, if any, profit. “You cant run a football game in Tiger Stadium without 1,500-1,600 people to help,” Bertman said, “and most of them are not volunteers. “There will be wear and tear on the field, and I don’t want to have to pay to make the field right. I’m assuming we’re going to expend some effort to keep the field in shape, not that the field is in bad shape.” Saints owner Tom Benson and the Saints “have been real good about everything,” Bertman said. Bertman will go before the LSU Board of Supervisors Sept. 23 to get formal approval for allowing the Saints to play in Tiger Stadium. He added there also will be a request to allow beer to be sold for Saints games only. The NCAA does not allow the sale of alcoholic drinks at member events. Earlier this week, the Saints and LSU agreed to hold four of their home games in Tiger Stadium, starting with an Oct. 30 meeting with the Miami Dolphins, led by former LSU coach Nick Saban. The Saints will return the following Sunday (Nov. 6) to play the Chicago Bears and will play games there against the Tampa Bay Bucs (Dec. 4) and the Carolina Panthers (Dec. 18). Bertman said a typical Saturday night game in Tiger Stadium requires about 450 uniformed police from four different agencies, all paid, to provide such amenities as security and traffic control. Then there are the numerous game marshals, ushers, ticket takers, concession stand workers, doctors, Red Cross workers and ambulance personnel. “You have to have electri- SAINTS NOTES cians and plumbers available,” he said. “It’s like a large city, 100,000 people, on a given Saturday. The chances of nothing going wrong are zero.” Field conditions are a big concern, especially if it rains. The field is sand-based for better drainage and the added use could tear it up because it’s designed for seven games per season. Even more stressful for the field is that the teams are scheduled to play back-to-back days two consecutive weekends. The Tigers play North Texas on Oct. 29 before the Saints play Miami, then Appalachian State for homecoming on Nov. 5, the day before the Saints and Bears meet. LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent said the field will probably be re-sodded during a 19-day break in November between the Saints-Bears game and the LSU-Arkansas game on Nov. 25. It was already scheduled to be completely replaced after this season. SMG, which staffs and manages game day operations for the Saints and the New Orleans Hornets, has offered its services in meetings between the Saints and LSU. SMG regional vice president Doug Thornton said that, while LSU knows how to put on a football game, there are some NFL specific areas such as field security and game production in which it might need help. SAN ANTONIO EMBRACING SAINTS SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio apparently loves the New Orleans Saints. On Wednesday the Saints MOBILE GREYHOUND PARK MATINEE POST TIME 1:00 MON., WED. & SAT. EVENING POST TIME 7:30 MON. – SAT. 1-800-272-5000 Min. age 18 sold more than 50,000 tickets to home games at the Alamodome in San Antonio during an eight-hour period. Several hundred fans began lining up outside the Alamodome ticket office shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday to purchase tickets to the three Saints games scheduled to be played in San Antonio. THE SPECIAL MAN John Carney, who kicked a 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the New Orleans Saints a 23-20 victory Sunday against the division rival Carolina Panthers, was named special teams player of the week by the NFL. Football From Page 1-B tough test to start its season as they travel to 4A No. 1 Wayne County. Moss Point, who was scheduled to play 5A No. 1 South Panola the week the hurricane hit, continues its tough stretch of season opening games. East Central travels to Petal for a tough test before region play starts next week. “I think the guys are just ready to get back to playing football,” East Central head coach Toby Melton said. “I think they just need something to take their minds off things.” First Class Paint & Body Shop 2520 Jefferson Street, Pascagoula All Insurance Claims Welcome With All Insurance Deductibles Saved. Attention: Hours — 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday 228-326-2732 4-C THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 NATION/WORLD Coordinated attacks kill 160 in Baghdad ■ Bomber lured citizens with promise of employment By STEVEN R. HURST The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than a dozen highly coordinated bombings ripped through Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 160 people and wounding 570 in the capital’s bloodiest day since the end of major combat. Many of the victims were day laborers lured by a suicide attacker posing as an employer. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attacks in the name of Sunni insurgents, saying it was a retaliation for the rout of militants at a base close to the Syrian border. The spasm of violence terrorized the capital for more than nine hours. The first attack, at 6:30 a.m., was the deadliest: a suicide car blast which tore through the predominantly Shiite Muslim neighborhood of Kazimiyah. In what was believed to be a new tactic, the bomber set off the explosive after calling the construction and other workers to his small van and enticing them with promises of employment, a witness said. At least 112 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded, according to Health Ministry officials. Twisted hulks of vehicles blocked the bloodstained main street in Kazimiyah’s Oruba Square. Al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, purportedly declared “all-out war” on Shiites, Iraqi troops and the government in an audiotape posted Wednesday on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamic content. The al-Zarqawi tape was a clear attempt, coming on the heels of the attacks, to create a climate of fear, sow deeper sectarian discord and scare Iraqis away from the Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution. AP Iraqi soldiers secure the site following an explosion in Baghdad Wednesday. At least 73 people were killed and 162 wounded early Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near a group of construction workers in north Baghdad. Iraqi forces arrested two insurgents in connection with the Kazimiyah bombing, one of them a Palestinian and the other a Libyan, Iraqi television quoted Prime Minister Ibrahim alJaafari as saying. Al-Jaafari also said the suicide bomber was a Syrian, without offering any BRIEFS Federal judge declares Pledge of Allegiance in schools unconstitutional SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday, a decision that could put the divisive issue on track for another round of Supreme Court arguments. The case was brought by the same atheist whose previous battle against the words “under God” was rejected last year by the Supreme Court on procedural grounds. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge’s reference to one nation “under God” violates school children’s right to be “free from a coercive requirement to affirm God.” Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which in 2002 ruled in favor of Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools. The Supreme Court dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing because he did not have custody of his elementary school daughter he sued on behalf of. Newdow, an attorney and a medical doctor, filed an identical case on behalf of three unnamed parents and their children. Karlton said those families have the right to sue. Newdow hopes that will make it more likely the merits of his case will be addressed by the high court. “All it has to do is put the pledge as it was before, and say that we are one nation, indivisible, instead of dividing us on religious basis,” Newdow told The Associated Press. Florida couple pleads no contest to torturing their children INVERNESS, Fla. — A couple pleaded no contest Wednesday to torturing and starving five of their seven adopted children, including yanking out their toenails with pliers, and were sentenced to 15 years each in prison. John and Linda Dollar’s plea to five counts of aggravated child abuse avoids a scheduled Oct. 31 trial and saves the children from an on-camera deposition documenting their misery. The Inverness couple also tortured the children, ages 12 to 17, with an electric cattle prod and bondage equipment. Dressed in red jumpsuits and chained at the waist, the Dollars admitted they let the situation get out of hand. The family lived in a secluded home and the children were home schooled, so no outsiders knew their conditions. “It was not intentional that they be harmed in any way,” John Dollar said. “They were not responsible. We love them, wish them well.” He then started to cry. “I just want to say that I’m sorry for any harm that I might have caused the children,” Linda Dollar said. “It was never any intent to harm them.” Woman executed for slayings of husband, children in Texas HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Frances Newton was executed Wednesday for the fatal shootings of her husband and two children 18 years ago, becoming the third woman, and first black woman, to be put to death in the state since executions resumed in 1982. Strapped to the death chamber gurney and with her parents among the people watching, she declined to make a final statement, quietly saying “no” and shaking her head when the warden asked if she would like to speak. Newton, 40, briefly turned her head to look at her family as the drugs began flowing. She appeared to try to mouth something to her relatives, but the drugs took effect. She coughed once and gasped as her eyes closed. She was pronounced dead eight minutes later. One of her sisters stood against a wall at the rear of the death house, her head buried in her arms. Her parents held hands and her mother brushed away a tear before they walked to the back of the chamber to console their other daughter. About three dozen demonstrators chanted outside but the crowd paled in comparison to the hundreds who gathered in 1998 to protest the execution of Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the Civil War. “She’s back with her family, in her mind,” said John LaGrappe, one of her attorneys, who met with Newton less than two hours before she was executed and described her as “strong and optimistic. ... It’s her faith in God.” — From Wire Reports details how the identification was made so quickly. The attacks came as U.S. and Iraqi forces pressed their offensive against insurgents in the northern city of Tal Afar and along the Euphrates River valley, striking hard at what officials have said were militants sneaking across the border from Syria. Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web posting that it launched the attacks, some less than 10 minutes apart, in response to the Tal Afar offensive, which began Saturday and evicted most insurgents from the city about 50 miles from Syria and 260 miles northwest of Baghdad. “To the nation of Islam, we give you the good news that the battles of revenge for the Sunni people of Tal Afar began yesterday,” said the alQaida statement posted on a militant Web site. Its authenticity could not be confirmed. It was unclear why the statement referred to “yesterday.” The audiotape was posted later Wednesday. The speaker, introduced as al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, said his militant forces would attack any Iraqi they believe has cooperated with the Tal Afar offensive. “If proven that any of (Iraq’s) national guards, police or army are agents of the Crusaders, they will be killed and his house will demolished or burned — after evacuating all women and children — as a punishment,” the speaker said. But most of the victims Wednesday were civilians. At Baghdad’s Kazimiyah Hospital, dozens of wounded men lay on stretchers and gurneys, their bandages and clothes soaked in blood. One older man in a traditional Arab gown and checkered head scarf sat in a plastic chair, his bloodsoaked underwear exposed and a trail of dried blood snaking down his legs. As the hours ticked by, at least 11 other car or roadside bombs shattered what had been a few days of relative calm in Baghdad. Two mortar attacks were reported and a multitude of gunbattles broke out between U.S. and Iraqi forces and insurgent attackers. Roberts heads toward likely confirmation By DAVID ESPO The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee John Roberts carefully picked his way through a second day of questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as Republicans challenged Democrats to support his all-but-certain confirmation as the nation’s 17th chief justice. “If people can’t vote for you, then I doubt that they can vote for any Republican nominee,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Minority Democrats sounded unswayed. Sen. Charles Schumer told Roberts he was “cutting back a little on what you said yesterday,” referring to an earlier statement that the Constitution provides a right to privacy. The New York Democrat made his charge after Roberts declined to cite any examples of disagreement with the opinions of Justice Clarence Thomas on the subject. Thomas has written there is no general right to privacy, a right often viewed as the underpinning of a right to abortion. “We are rolling the dice with you,” Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., told the 50-year-old appeals court judge, who turned aside questions about abortion, the right to die, the permissibility of torture and other issues he said may come before the court. Even as Roberts fielded questions, there was fresh evidence of the contentious issues that await him if he is confirmed to replace the late Chief Justice William H. RehnRoberts quist. There were gasps from the audience when word was relayed from the committee dais that a federal judge in California had ruled the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was unconstitutional because it includes the words “under God.” Roberts was not asked for his opinion. For the second straight day, Roberts fielded questions calmly, summoning descriptions of past cases from memory. He spiced his testimony with a sense of humor, promising at one point that if confirmed, he would not seek a pay raise “next week.” Republicans projected ever greater confidence that he would soon preside in the grand marble Supreme Court building across the street from the Capitol. “We need you to bring to the court your compassion and your understanding for the lives of others who haven’t been as successful as you have been,” said Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, one of several Republicans who spoke as if giving a sendoff message to a man about to embark on a new mission. GOP officials say they are confident of the support of all 10 Republican members of the panel when the committee roll is called on Thursday next week, although it is possible all eight Democrats will oppose him. The full Senate may vote the following week, in time for Roberts to take his seat before the high court opens a new term on Oct. 3. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 7-C THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS TV/ADVICE THURSDAY PRIME TIME TV b 6:00 WEAR News 405 WWL News 937 WKRG CBS News 5950 Jeopardy! WALA 3370 FOX WDSU WDAM WKFK PAX WYES WLOX ABC WPMI NBC Off the Air News 7318 Alfonso Realty 7196 6:30 Millionaire The Insider The Andy Griffith Show 6202 AMC ANPL BET CMT COM DIS DISC E! ENC ESPN ESPN2 EWTN FAM FOOD FSS FX HALL HBO HBO2 HBO3 HGTV HIST LIFE 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 News News Nightline News Late Show W/Letterman News 9440080 Late Show With David Letterman: (10:35) Entrepreneur Ted Turner. 2203486 News 52592 Everybody Loves Raymond 52641 Everybody Loves Raymond 78689 Wheel Jim Robinson ER 10592 Gaither: The Best of Guy Penrod 56318 News It’s a Miracle 56467 Tonight Show w/Jay Leno News 65115 Alfonso Realty Joey 6573 Will & Grace Doc: Choices of the Heart. 50134 Scrubs 5221 Scrubs 1028 Diagnosis Murder (Part 2 of 2) 36554 Off the Air Wheel of For- Celebrity A-List Bloopers: Primetime: (Season premiere) Relief and recovery efforts after News 5453592 Nightline tune 8844 Funny flubs from films and tele- Hurricane Katrina; investigating U.S. preparedness for catastro(10:35) vision shows. 78554 phes. 98318 6752298 News 2660 Entertainment Joey: Joey Will & Grace Tonight 3912 and the Moving (Part 2 of 2) In. 8115 9196 Scrubs 7863 Scrubs: My Roommates. 6370 ER: The Show Must Go On. Disaster casualties flood the ER. 92134 11:30 Inside Ed. Access H. Late Late Show/Craig Ferguson Frasier (Part 1 Frasier: Sellof 2) 43793 ing Out. 28660 Late Night Jim Robinson Jimmy Kimmel Live (11:05) 1187931 News 5448660 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: (10:35) Entrepreneur Donald Trump. 3083641 The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (’74) ›››› (Cice- Tavis Smiley Charlie Rose 654486 ly Tyson, Odetta) 81660 54347 Late Night With Conan O’Brien The NewsHour With Jim Classic Roads Mississippi 18689 Outdoors 22370 My Wife and My Wife and Kids 20950 The O.C.: The Shape of Things Reunion: 1987. A former cell- Everybody to Come. Sandy is concerned mate offers Will a business Loves Rayabout Kirsten. 65660 proposition. 41080 mond 21738 Everybody Loves Raymond 22234 That ’70s Show 94221 Veronica Mars: Leave It to Beaver. Veronica learns who murdered Lilly. 834660 A Different World 30660 The Simpsons That ’70s Show Eve 1277486 My Wife and Kids The Bernie Mac Show That ’70s Show King of the Hill 3466134 Malcolm in the Middle The Drew Carey Show Will & Grace Will & Grace Cheaters Cheaters Cops That Funny Eve 6681399 King/Queens King/Queens Smallville: Forever. 6:00 A&E 8:00 Primetime 3318 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger. 4660 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grave Danger. The CSI teams come together when they learn one team member has been kidnapped and buried alive. 16776 Off the Air News 7592 WXXV Kids 48270 FOX WB 7:30 Wheel of For- The O.C.: The Shape of Things Reunion: 1987. A former celltune 7950 to Come. Sandy is concerned mate offers Will a business about Kirsten. 23080 proposition. 49028 WMAH Lehrer 47863 PBS WJTC 7:00 Celebrity A-List Bloopers Survivor: Guatemala -Maya Survivor: Guatemala -- The Maya Empire 96912 6:30 7:00 7:30 Cuts 1286134 Cuts 1265641 Supernatural: Pilot. 8:00 8:30 Cold Case Files 155931 9:00 American Justice 415950 Deadly Secrets of Cromwell Street 146283 Volcano (4:45) (PG-13, ’97) ›› 35523793 Platoon (R, ’86) ›››› (Tom Berenger) Two sergeants and a private join others lost in war along the 1967 Cambodian border. 756931 The Most Extreme 106 & Park BET Style Dukes of Hazzard Comedy Reno 911! That’s So That’s So Raven Raven Planet’s Funniest Animals Planet’s Funniest Animals The Parkers The Parkers Girlfriends Girlfriends Top 20 Countdown: Host Lance Smith. 7830825 Daily Show Comedy Comedy South Park The Emperor’s New Groove (G, ’00) ›› The Buzz on (David Spade, John Goodman) 5590196 Maggie 9:30 The First 48 142467 10:00 10:30 Crossing Jordan: Justice Delayed. 145554 11:00 Planet’s Funniest Animals Soul Food 608134 Dukes of Hazzard Daily Show A. Carolla That’s So That’s So Raven Raven 11:30 Deadly Secrets of Cromwell Street 751399 Hamburger Hill (R, ’87) ›› Fourteen Army recruits try again and again to take a muddy hill in Vietnam. 823115 Animal Cops Houston Classic ComicView Foxworthy South Park Showbiz The Buzz on Sister, Sister Maggie 403641 GED Connection 73776 Platoon (R, ’86) 489757 Planet’s Funniest Animals BET After Dark 313689 CMT Home Blitz 1183202 Chappelle’s Showbiz Phil of the Kim Future Possible American Chopper 497554 Angel of Death 151115 Angel of Death 160863 The FBI Files 157399 Angel of Death 150486 Angel of Death 759931 E! News Scenes The E! True Hollywood Story: Paula Abdul. 849689 Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive H. Stern H. Stern Taradise Taradise Mr. Destiny (5:05) Freaky Friday (PG, ’03) ››› (Jamie Lee Curtis) 6163009 G.I. Jane (8:45) (R, ’97) ››› (Demi Moore) 49778370 Distinguished Gentleman SportCenter College Football: Utah at Texas Christian 610950 SportsCenter 104592 Baseball NFL Live Frankly Shootaround WNBA Basketball 5057202 Baseball Tonight 6484573 Rookie, Welcome to NFL Hollywood NFL Moment Daily Mass: Our Lady Life on the Rock 6480757 Backstage Holy Rosary Gospel Church Web of Faith 6489028 Daily Mass: Our Lady Smallville 697592 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (PG, ’92) ››› 468399 Whose Line The 700 Club 237134 Fun Videos Fun Videos Good Eats Unwrapped Emeril Live 4666931 Here Comes the Cake Iron Chef America Iron Chef 4665202 Emeril’s Pie Contest Sports List Football Poker Championship Best Damn Sports Show Best Damn Sports Show Spo. Report Best Damn Sports Show Spo. Report ’70s Show Shallow Hal (PG-13, ’01) ›› (Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black) 5491738 Starved Starved Sunny Starved ’70s Show ’70s Show Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger The Long Way Home (’98) ›› (Jack Lemmon) 9810015 M*A*S*H M*A*S*H M*A*S*H M*A*S*H Costas NOW 877776 Inside the NFL 522689 Starsky & Hutch (PG-13, ’04) ›› (Ben Stiller) 1617554 Sex Inspectors: Real Sex Inside the NFL (10:45) Spider-Man 2 (4:45) Real Time With Bill Maher Shark Tale (PG, ’04) ›› 4067554 Taxi (PG-13, ’04) › 7761047 Orgasm Special: Real Sex Spitfire Grill (5) 2720689 Rome 2503047 Private Benjamin (R, ’80) ››› (Goldie Hawn) 2583283 Breakin’ All the Rules (PG-13) 4779028 Boogie ... Curb Appeal House Hunt Small Space reDesign Div. Design Designers House Hunt House Hunt Design/Dime Paint Small Space reDesign Modern Marvels 4655554 The 9/11 Commission Report 4219641 Hell: The Devil’s Domain 4654196 9/11 Commission Report Miracle Run (’04) ›› (Mary-Louise Parker, Aidan Quinn) Ambulance Girl (’05) (Kathy Bates, Robin Thomas) The Golden The Golden The Nanny The Nanny 226028 221573 Palace Girls 586912 220979 No Escape (R, ’94) ›› (Ray Liotta) 959979 Catwoman (PG-13, ’04) ›› (Halle Berry) 8469467 Nightcap (10:45) 2674844 MAX Whiteboys (5:30) 598844 Love Don’t Cost a Thing (PG-13, ’03) ›› 5921370 Hot Line Desire Thrills 3 (11:15) 23838080 MAX2 Shrek 2 (6:15) (PG, ’04) ››› (Mike Myers) 71072680 SpongeBob Romeo! Full House Fresh Prince Fresh Prince Cosby Show Roseanne Roseanne Fresh Prince Fresh Prince NICK OddParents Jimmy Adventures Beretta Dream Hun. Buckmaster Survivor: Africa 2130509 Adventures Beretta Dream Hun. Buckmaster OUTDOOR Survivor: Africa 4366950 Man With the Screaming Brain (’05) ›› 3325370 Kull the Conqueror (PG-13, ’97) ›› 3957757 SCIFI The Addams Family (PG-13, ’91) ››› 3320825 Scenarios USA Shorts Soul Food 713979 Barbershop Barbershop The Best Thief in the World (R) 8014973 Movie SHOW Timeline (5) 306738 Lopez: Why You Crying? Groundhog Day (PG, ’93) ››› (Bill Murray) 7206196 In the Kingdom ... (10:45) SHOW2 Best Men (5) Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights 6112979 CSI: Crime Scene MXC 429554 MXC 448689 MXC 813979 MXC 883863 The Ultimate Fighter Police Video SPIKE CSI: Crime Scene Ella Enchanted (PG, ’04) ›› 2757370 Mr. 3000 (9:40) (PG-13, ’04) ›› (Bernie Mac) 99178115 Around ... STARZ Powder (6:05) (PG-13, ’95) ›› 40530202 Desk Set (’57) ››› (Spencer Tracy) 5042370 Lover Come Back (’61) ››› (Rock Hudson) 6492592 Shop Around the Corner TCM Champ (5:30) 3911641 World’s Worst Drivers U.S. Marshal: Real Story U.S. Marshal: Real Story World’s Worst Drivers U.S. Marshal: Real Story TLC In a Fix 873486 Out of Time (PG-13, ’03) ›› 315047 Blue Steel (R, ’90) ››› (Jamie Lee Curtis) 8368221 Hot Boyz (10:45) TMC School of Rock (5:05) Seven (R, ’95) ››› (Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman) 264115 The Mothman Prophecies (PG-13, ’02) ›› (Richard Gere) 900405 TNT Law & Order 871028 Camp Lazlo Billy/Mandy Codename Imaginary Cartoon Yu-Gi-Oh! Dragon Ball Family Guy Futurama Chicken Stroker TOON Imaginary Good Times Good Times Little House on the Prairie Andy Griffith Sanford/Son Good Times All in Family 3’s Comp. Night Court Cheers Sanford/Son TVL Law & Order: SVU The Relic (R, ’97) ›› (Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore) 554660 Jeepers Creepers (R, ’01) ›› 681824 USA The Quest (5) 322776 News Becker Da Vinci’s Inquest 762931 WGN Will & Grace Home Imp. MLB Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 264221 WTBS MLB Baseball: Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies 871009 Dust-busting hints that keeps it from coming back Dear Readers: dust in our homes is a never-ending problem — it seems that we’ve just dusted and it’s back! Here are some hints to help control dust — we will never conquer it. • Don’t just move dust around — using a dry cloth By Heloise or feather duster simply rearranges dust and pushes it into the air, where it then falls and returns to another surface. • Depending on what you are dusting, you’ll need to use a furniture polish, multipurpose spray cleaner or a slightly damp cloth to pick up and hold the dust. Hint: I like to put clean, old socks over my hands and spray them with furniture polish to dust. • Microfiber cloths also do a great job of removing dust from furniture, computer screens and even pets! These are a must in my household. • In between dustings, stand in the middle of each room and look at all surfaces: the dining-room table, coffee table, side tables and nightstands, etc. If they appear dusty before you have the time to do a thorough cleaning, do a five-minute quick dust to help keep dust from building up. I hope these help you keep the upper hand on those dust bunnies that visit everyone’s home! — Heloise P.S. Here’s my ode to dust: Dust, dust, go away Don’t come back till doomsday! If you do I’ll get my vac That’s all I have to say about that. Amazing Vinegar Dear Heloise: I found two other uses for vinegar. In a recent purchase from a nursery, I found an ant farm in the dirt of the plant. After planting, I poured a solution of 1⁄2 vinegar and 1⁄2 water on it, and the next day the ants were dead. Oh, and it also kept the rabbits from eating the newly planted plant. — Cindy Kurtz, Mohnton, Pa. I knew about vinegar for ant prevention, but to keep rabbits from nibbling? I wonder if it would work as well with deer? If it does, it would be a miracle! And while we’re at it, vinegar will kill grass in between sidewalks or steppingstones, as well as moss. I could go on and on about the many ways vinegar can be used inside and outside, but I don’t have the space, so send for my vinegar pamphlet. Why buy expensive commercial products that are full of chemicals when good ol’ inexpensive vinegar is all you need? — Heloise Write to Heloise at P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio TX 78279-5000 or fax (210) HELOISE. Fight over wearing shorts really a battle for respect DEAR ABBY: The letter you printed from “Needs Advice in Texas,” whose mother forced her to wear shorts by taking away all her pants and jeans, made me sad and angry. What was this woman thinking? I’m now 31 and never wear shorts, except in the gym or while hiking. Shorts rarely flatter anyone. Capri pants and Dear skirts are flattering, Abby attractive and just as cool in summer, without causing self- consciousness. That mother needs to learn a thing or two not only about fashion, but also respect for her daughter. Being 14 and a girl is hard enough. — SYMPATHETIC IN BOULDER DEAR SYMPATHETIC: I agree that the mother could use some lessons in parenting and diplomacy; however, not everyone agrees with us. Read on: DEAR ABBY: You agreed with the GIRL? What were you thinking? Your response will undermine the authority of that mother and lead the girl to disrespect her mother’s decisions. My daughter had issues with wearing shorts, too. I chose to have her confront her insecurities by insisting she wear them. After a few random compliments from friends of hers, the shorts issue is no longer an issue. — TRISH IN MONTGOMERY, ALA. DEAR ABBY: The girl told her mother she was self- conscious about her legs, so she forced the girl to wear shorts anyway? What was the lesson here — that she can’t make her own decisions because Mom is the boss? How would that woman react if her husband forced her to wear clothes she felt uncomfortable in? Rather than teaching her daughter to be confident in her own decisions, she has insisted she be submissive. Wasn’t there a better way to help her feel better about her legs? If she thinks they’re too big, how about walking or exercising with her? It sounds like those two could really use some quality time together. — DANA IN FORT WORTH DEAR ABBY: My daughter (now 18) was the same way. I decided long ago, starting with the “shorts” issue, that there are bigger battles to fight. We’ve been through the Goth look, black hair, white makeup, blue hair, pink hair, boyfriends with mohawks, Dumpster-diving wardrobes, to glitter, understated makeup, styled hair, French manicures, and being voted best dressed in her senior year. We laugh about it now. But the bottom line is, my daughter has confidence in herself. That mother should count her blessings, because there are a lot worse things to fight about. If the girl doesn’t mind the heat — you know, it’s really no one’s business. — BEEN THERE AND BACK IN MICHIGAN DEAR ABBY: I’m a college student who hasn’t worn shorts in public since middle school because I don’t feel attractive in them. For hot summer weather, I suggest long, flowing skirts — which are really “in” right now — and long sundresses. They’re perfectly acceptable summerwear, and besides being better suited than jeans for hot weather, they’ll cover her legs. That should satisfy the mother while allowing the girl to achieve the level of modesty she desires. — L.B. IN S.C. DEAR ABBY: Regardless of whether that poor girl has nice legs or not, if she’s not comfortable wearing shorts she should not be forced to. If she’s hot in her jeans, that’s her problem and not her mother’s. Let’s hope that “Needs Advice” forgets about this when she puts her mother in a nursing home and gets to dictate what SHE wears! — PEGGY IN CLEVELAND Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. It counts to count the deal Albert Einstein claimed: “Not everything that can be counted, counts. And not everything that counts can be counted.” Bridge Dear Dr. Gott: Is it possible dementia) cause patients to players to get crotch lice from toilet lose the qualities that make who count seats? them human. I would like to One of remind you that we are human find that Philip their play Alder my friends when God puts a soul in us at got crotch conception and that we remain counts for more than lice and he “human” until death. Please those who do not count. Maksaid it was address this important issue. ing this grand slam requires from sitDear Reader: No, I will counting to 13 — you can do ting on a not. Here’s why: it! Against seven spades, toilet seat You are confusing two vital The key is to count out East’s West leads the heart eight. in a motel. issues: 1) The reality of hand. East’s vulnerable threeWas that advanced mental deterioration Peter After winning with dumheart opening shows a decent possible? caused by a disease, and 2) my’s heart ace, draw trumps, seven-card suit with some 6Gott, M.D. Dear The issue of a “soul,” which is keeping a winner on the 10 high-card points. After Reader: an opinion. This argument is board, run the clubs, discardLice are spread by direct separate from medical consid- South overcalls in spades, ing your remaining heart, North launches Blackwood contact. The parasites will erations. and ruff the heart four in eagerly leave one person for While all responsible adults before bidding the grand your hand. What have you slam. This is slightly risky another (or a toilet seat) for a place a value on life as a Godfound out? because he cannot be sure warm nesting place. While I given gift, there comes a time You have learned that East cannot comment on the likeliwhen the quality of life is per- about the diamond suit, but started with one spade, seven it would be unlucky if seven hood of a person catching geni- manently altered and hearts and one club. Therespades had no play. tal lice from a contaminated irreparably damaged. Anyone fore, he must have four diaThere seem to be 13 easy toilet seat, the risk is very real. who has had a family member, monds. So, lead a diamond to tricks: five spades, one My question is: How does a friend, a colleague or a loved dummy’s ace and return a heart, four diamonds and your friend know he got crotch one with dementia knows diamond, putting in your three clubs. The only danger lice from the toilet seat? If he what I mean — the religious nine when East plays low. (If is a bad diamond break. If suspected the seat, why did he consequences are overridden East incorrectly splits his West has jack-10-fourth, the sit on it? by simple realistic considerahonors, you win the trick, contract must fail. But if I don’t mean to aggravate an tions. cross to dummy with a spade, East has either a singleton already delicate situation, but I am not going to address and take a diamond finesse.) honor or any four diamonds, I wonder if the “friend” may the issue of a soul or divine ©2005, NEA have been covering up an intervention because I am not the contract will be makable. indiscretion. a trained cleric. However, I’d I urge you to demand a more be happy to go head-to-head in reasonable explanation than “I writing with anyone whose got it from a public toilet.” opinion could differ from mine. CALL TOLL-FREE Honesty is paramount in this issue. © NEA Inc. Write to Dr. Dear Dr. Gott: In several Peter Gott, c/o United Media HURRICANE HEADQUARTERS articles, you have concluded of 200 Madison Ave 4th that Alzheimer’s disease (and Floor, New York City, NY other causes of advanced 10016. Eraser A Witness Protection Program agent hides a woman who knows about defense-field traitors planning to sell a superweapon. 6381009 Air America (11:25) Getting to the bottom of lice infestation Got a story idea? THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS (866) 843-9020